2000
#53,047
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 366
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.14
Very Rare Last name
Carrere
A French surname derived from the word "carrière" meaning either a quarry or a busy road.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 464 Americans carry the last name Carrere. That puts it at #54,873 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.14 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 738,695 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Carrere 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.
Bearers in the US
464
1 in 738,695
Census rank
#54,873
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
405
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 405 bearers of the surname Carrere in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.14 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 54873rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Carrere, the largest self-reported group is White at 64.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (14.6%) and Black (10.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Carrere
The surname Carrere has its origins in France, with roots dating back to the 12th century. The name is derived from the Occitan word "carriera," which means "path" or "road." This suggests that the name may have been initially given to someone who lived near a road or a pathway.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Livre des Bourgeois de Gand, a register of citizens in the city of Ghent, Belgium, from the year 1200. The entry lists a person named "Guillelmus Carrere," indicating the presence of the surname in the region during that time period.
In the 13th century, the Carrere family was well-established in the Languedoc region of southern France. Notable members of this family included Bertrand Carrere, a knight who fought in the Crusades and was mentioned in a chronicle from 1248.
During the 14th century, the Carrere name appeared in various records across southern France, particularly in the areas around Toulouse and Carcassonne. One notable individual was Pierre Carrere, a wealthy merchant from Toulouse who was recorded in a tax register from 1376.
The Carrere family also had a presence in Spain, where the name was sometimes spelled "Carrera." One notable individual from this branch was Juan de la Carrera, a Spanish explorer who accompanied Christopher Columbus on his second voyage to the Americas in 1493.
In the 16th century, a branch of the Carrere family settled in the French region of Béarn, where the name became associated with the village of Carrère-Salies. This village is mentioned in a document from 1589, which refers to a "Pey de Carrère" as a local landowner.
Other notable individuals with the surname Carrere include:
1. Jean-Baptiste Carrere (1665-1736), a French architect and designer of the famous Château de Maisons-Laffitte.
2. Molière (Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, 1622-1673), the renowned French playwright and actor, whose mother's maiden name was Carrere.
3. Tina Carrere (born 1967), an American actress and former model, best known for her roles in the films "Wayne's World" and "True Lies."
4. Emmanuel Carrere (born 1957), a French writer and screenwriter, known for his non-fiction works such as "The Adversary" and "Limonov."
5. Jean-Claude Carrière (1931-2021), a French novelist, screenwriter, and actor, who collaborated with filmmakers like Luis Buñuel and Miloš Forman.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Carrere
Among Census respondents with the surname Carrere, the largest self-reported group is White at 64.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (14.6%) and Black (10.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Carrere 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 Carrere surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White64.2% · 260
- Hispanic or Latino14.6% · 59
- Black or African American10.1% · 41
- Two or more races6.7% · 27
- American Indian and Alaska Native3.5% · 14
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Carrere
Carrere 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
#53,316
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 388
+22 bearers (+6.0%)
Per 100,000 0.13
Rank movement Down 269 places
2020
#54,873
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 405
+17 bearers (+4.4%)
Per 100,000 0.14
Rank movement Down 1,557 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #53,047 | 366 | 0.14 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #53,316 | 388 | 0.13 | +22 bearers (+6.0%) | Down 269 places |
| 2020 | #54,873 | 405 | 0.14 | +17 bearers (+4.4%) | Down 1,557 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 Carrere 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 | #53,316 | #54,873 | -2.9% |
| Count | 388 | 405 | 4.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.13 | 0.14 | 4.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Carrere bearers went from 388 to 405 (+4.4% change). The surname moved down 1,557 positions in the national ranking, going from #53,316 to #54,873.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Carrere
FAQ
Carrere surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Carrere?
Name Census estimates that about 464 living Americans carry the surname Carrere. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 738,695 residents.
How common is Carrere?
Carrere ranks #54,873 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.14 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 405 people with the surname Carrere. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (464), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.14 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.14 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Carrere.
Has Carrere become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Carrere went from 388 recorded bearers to 405. That is an increase of 17 (+4.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #53,316 to #54,873.
What does the Census say about the background of Carrere?
Among Census respondents with the surname Carrere, the largest self-reported group is White at 64.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (14.6%) and Black (10.1%). 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 Carrere in the 2020 Census, accounting for 64.2% (260 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Carrere appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (64.2%), Hispanic (14.6%), Black (10.1%). 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 Carrere (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 Carrere mean?
A French surname derived from the word "carrière" meaning either a quarry or a busy road. 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 Carrere (0.14 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 Americans have the surname Carrere?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.