2000
#7,937
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,865
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.43
Rare Last name
Carrick
A locational surname derived from various places in Scotland and Northern England, likely referring to a rocky place.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,243 Americans carry the last name Carrick. That puts it at #8,540 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.24 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 80,781 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Carrick 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 Carrick with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.2K
1 in 80,781
Census rank
#8,540
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,700 bearers of the surname Carrick in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.24 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8540th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Carrick, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Carrick
The surname Carrick is of Irish origin, derived from the Irish Gaelic phrase "Carraig" which means "rock" or "rocky place". This name likely originated in the coastal regions of Ireland, where rocky terrain was prevalent. The earliest known examples of the name can be traced back to the 12th century in County Antrim, Ireland.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Carrick appears in the Annals of Ulster, a chronicle of medieval Irish history. In 1177, it mentions a prominent family named "de Carrick" who held lands in the region of Carrickfergus, a town located in modern-day County Antrim.
During the 13th century, the name Carrick was also found in various charters and land records in counties such as Donegal and Fermanagh. These records often referred to individuals as "de Carrick" or "de Carrig", indicating their association with a particular rocky area or place.
The name Carrick is closely linked to several notable historical figures. One such individual was Sir Piers de Carrick, a Scottish knight who fought alongside Robert the Bruce during the Wars of Scottish Independence in the early 14th century. Another prominent bearer of the name was Eoghan Carrick, an Irish chieftain who led a rebellion against English rule in County Tyrone in the late 16th century.
In the 17th century, the Carrick name gained further prominence with the birth of John Carrick (1637-1711), an English-born clergyman who served as the Bishop of Worcester and later the Bishop of Chichester. Another notable figure was Sir John Carrick (1665-1741), a British politician and Member of Parliament for Bramber in Sussex.
Throughout the centuries, various branches of the Carrick family have been associated with different places, leading to the adoption of locational surnames such as Carrickfergus, Carrickmacross, and Carrickmines. These names reflect the family's historical ties to specific rocky or mountainous areas in Ireland.
The surname Carrick has been carried by numerous individuals throughout history, reflecting the rich cultural and geographical diversity of Ireland. While the name has evolved over time, its roots can be traced back to the rugged coastal landscapes that shaped the lives and identities of its early bearers.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Carrick
Among Census respondents with the surname Carrick, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Carrick 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 Carrick surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.1% · 3,259
- Two or more races3.7% · 136
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 132
- Black or African American2.2% · 83
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.8% · 65
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 25
Timeline
Historical Census data for Carrick
Carrick 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
#8,405
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,935
+70 bearers (+1.8%)
Per 100,000 1.33
Rank movement Down 468 places
2020
#8,540
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,700
-235 bearers (-6.0%)
Per 100,000 1.24
Rank movement Down 135 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,937 | 3,865 | 1.43 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,405 | 3,935 | 1.33 | +70 bearers (+1.8%) | Down 468 places |
| 2020 | #8,540 | 3,700 | 1.24 | -235 bearers (-6.0%) | Down 135 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 Carrick 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 | #8,405 | #8,540 | -1.6% |
| Count | 3,935 | 3,700 | -6.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.33 | 1.24 | -6.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Carrick bearers went from 3,935 to 3,700 (-6.0% change). The surname moved down 135 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,405 to #8,540.
FAQ
Carrick surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Carrick?
Name Census estimates that about 4,243 living Americans carry the surname Carrick. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 80,781 residents.
How common is Carrick?
Carrick ranks #8,540 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.24 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,700 people with the surname Carrick. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,243), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.24 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.24 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Carrick.
Has Carrick become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Carrick went from 3,935 recorded bearers to 3,700. That is a decrease of 235 (-6.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,405 to #8,540.
What does the Census say about the background of Carrick?
Among Census respondents with the surname Carrick, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (3.6%). 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 Carrick in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.1% (3,259 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Carrick appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.1%), Two or More Races (3.7%), Hispanic (3.6%). 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 Carrick (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 Carrick mean?
A locational surname derived from various places in Scotland and Northern England, likely referring to a rocky place. 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 Carrick (1.24 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 have the last name Carrick?
If you just want to know how common the surname Carrick is, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.