2000
#239
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113,892
First available Census row
Per 100,000 42.22
Common Last name
Carr
An occupational surname referring to someone who transports goods by cart or wagon, or who makes carts.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131,892 Americans carry the last name Carr. That puts it at #265 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 38.48 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,599 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Carr surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Carr with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
132K
1 in 2,599
Census rank
#265
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
38.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
115K
common in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 115,016 bearers of the surname Carr in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 38.48 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 265th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Carr, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.9%. The next largest groups are Black (20.2%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Carr
The surname Carr has its origins in the British Isles, derived from the Old Norse word 'karra', which means a cart or wagon. This name likely originated as an occupational surname for someone who worked as a carter or wagon driver.
The earliest known record of the name Carr dates back to the 12th century in England. It appears in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1194 as 'le Karr'. The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 also mention a Robertus Carr in Oxfordshire.
During the Middle Ages, the surname Carr was found across various parts of England, with different spellings like Carre, Carr, and Ker. These variations likely stemmed from regional dialects and the inconsistent spelling practices of the time.
In Scotland, the name Carr was also present, particularly in the Borders region. The Scottish writer and poet, Robert Carr, born in 1575 in Ancrum, Roxburghshire, is one of the earliest notable figures with this surname.
The Domesday Book, compiled in 1086, does not explicitly mention the surname Carr, as it primarily recorded landowners and their manors. However, it does include references to places like Carr House in Yorkshire, which may have been associated with the name's origins.
Other notable historical figures with the surname Carr include:
1. Sir Robert Carr (1586-1645), an English courtier and favorite of King James I.
2. John Carr (1723-1807), an English architect known for designing numerous buildings in Yorkshire and other parts of England.
3. Ralph Carr (1887-1950), an American politician who served as the 34th Governor of Colorado from 1939 to 1943.
4. Emily Carr (1871-1945), a renowned Canadian artist and writer, known for her paintings depicting the indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest.
5. Caleb Carr (born 1955), an American novelist and military historian, best known for his novel "The Alienist".
The surname Carr has also been associated with various place names throughout the British Isles, such as Carr End in Lancashire, Carr Vale in Derbyshire, and Carr Hill in Yorkshire, further indicating its geographical roots and potential connections to early settlements or landmarks.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Carr
Among Census respondents with the surname Carr, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.9%. The next largest groups are Black (20.2%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Carr bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Carr surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White70.9% · 81,518
- Black or African American20.2% · 23,189
- Two or more races4.2% · 4,875
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 4,084
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 737
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 613
Timeline
Historical Census data for Carr
Carr appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#255
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119,076
+5,184 bearers (+4.6%)
Per 100,000 40.37
Rank movement Down 16 places
2020
#265
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115,016
-4,060 bearers (-3.4%)
Per 100,000 38.48
Rank movement Down 10 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #239 | 113,892 | 42.22 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #255 | 119,076 | 40.37 | +5,184 bearers (+4.6%) | Down 16 places |
| 2020 | #265 | 115,016 | 38.48 | -4,060 bearers (-3.4%) | Down 10 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Carr surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #255 | #265 | -3.9% |
| Count | 119,076 | 115,016 | -3.4% |
| Per 100K | 40.37 | 38.48 | -4.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Carr bearers went from 119,076 to 115,016 (-3.4% change). The surname moved down 10 positions in the national ranking, going from #255 to #265.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Carr
FAQ
Carr surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Carr?
Name Census estimates that about 131,892 living Americans carry the surname Carr. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,599 residents.
How common is Carr?
Carr ranks #265 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Common." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 38.48 per 100,000 residents, which is about 38 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 115,016 people with the surname Carr. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (131,892), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 38.48 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 38.48 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 38 of them to have the surname Carr.
Has Carr become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Carr went from 119,076 recorded bearers to 115,016. That is a decrease of 4,060 (-3.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #255 to #265.
What does the Census say about the background of Carr?
Among Census respondents with the surname Carr, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.9%. The next largest groups are Black (20.2%) and Two or More Races (4.2%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Carr in the 2020 Census, accounting for 70.9% (81,518 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Carr appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (70.9%), Black (20.2%), Two or More Races (4.2%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Carr (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Carr mean?
An occupational surname referring to someone who transports goods by cart or wagon, or who makes carts. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Carr (38.48 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people share the surname Carr?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.