2000
#201
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 131,020
First available Census row
Per 100,000 48.57
Common Last name
Carroll
An Anglicized form of the Irish surname "Cearbhal," meaning "fierce in battle," from the Celtic root "car," meaning "cart."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 148,115 Americans carry the last name Carroll. That puts it at #226 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 43.21 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,314 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Carroll 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 Carroll with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
148K
1 in 2,314
Census rank
#226
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
43.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
129K
common in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 129,163 bearers of the surname Carroll in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 43.21 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 226th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Carroll, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.0%. The next largest groups are Black (11.2%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Carroll
The surname Carroll has its origins in the Gaelic Irish name O'Cearbhaill, which was derived from the personal name Cearbhall. This name has a meaning related to "fierce in battle" or "warlike". The Carroll surname originated in Ireland, particularly in the areas of County Offaly and County Tipperary, where the Gaelic name O'Cearbhaill was most prevalent.
In the 12th century, the Anglo-Norman invasion of Ireland led to many Irish names being anglicized. The name O'Cearbhaill evolved into various spellings, such as Carrol, Carrell, and eventually the more commonly used Carroll. Some of the earliest recorded instances of this surname can be found in medieval Irish annals and manuscripts.
One notable early reference to the name is in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of Irish history compiled in the 17th century. It mentions several individuals with the surname Carroll or variations of it, such as Maelmordha O'Carrol, who was the King of Ely (a region in County Offaly) in the 11th century.
The Carroll surname also has a connection to several notable figures throughout history. One of the most famous individuals with this name is Lewis Carroll, the English writer and mathematician born Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (1832-1898), best known for his works "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" and "Through the Looking-Glass".
Another prominent Carroll was Charles Carroll (1737-1832), an American politician and one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. He was the only Catholic signer and the longest-lived of all the signers.
The name is also associated with John Carroll (1735-1815), an American prelate who was the first Catholic bishop and archbishop in the United States. He founded Georgetown University in 1789.
In the field of literature, there was Sydney Carroll (1830-1909), an English writer and author of several novels, including "The Life of Lewis Carroll" and "A Memoir of Lewis Carroll".
Additionally, Earl Carroll (1892-1948) was an American producer and entrepreneur who is credited with popularizing the modern revue, a type of theatrical entertainment consisting of various skits and musical performances.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Carroll
Among Census respondents with the surname Carroll, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.0%. The next largest groups are Black (11.2%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Carroll 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 Carroll surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White80.0% · 103,386
- Black or African American11.2% · 14,416
- Two or more races4.0% · 5,217
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 4,334
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 954
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 856
Timeline
Historical Census data for Carroll
Carroll 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
#215
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 134,317
+3,297 bearers (+2.5%)
Per 100,000 45.53
Rank movement Down 14 places
2020
#226
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 129,163
-5,154 bearers (-3.8%)
Per 100,000 43.21
Rank movement Down 11 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #201 | 131,020 | 48.57 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #215 | 134,317 | 45.53 | +3,297 bearers (+2.5%) | Down 14 places |
| 2020 | #226 | 129,163 | 43.21 | -5,154 bearers (-3.8%) | Down 11 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 Carroll 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 | #215 | #226 | -5.1% |
| Count | 134,317 | 129,163 | -3.8% |
| Per 100K | 45.53 | 43.21 | -5.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Carroll bearers went from 134,317 to 129,163 (-3.8% change). The surname moved down 11 positions in the national ranking, going from #215 to #226.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Carroll
FAQ
Carroll surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Carroll?
Name Census estimates that about 148,115 living Americans carry the surname Carroll. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,314 residents.
How common is Carroll?
Carroll ranks #226 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Common." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 43.21 per 100,000 residents, which is about 43 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 129,163 people with the surname Carroll. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (148,115), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 43.21 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 43.21 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 43 of them to have the surname Carroll.
Has Carroll become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Carroll went from 134,317 recorded bearers to 129,163. That is a decrease of 5,154 (-3.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #215 to #226.
What does the Census say about the background of Carroll?
Among Census respondents with the surname Carroll, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.0%. The next largest groups are Black (11.2%) and Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Carroll in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.0% (103,386 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Carroll appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (80.0%), Black (11.2%), Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Carroll (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 Carroll mean?
An Anglicized form of the Irish surname "Cearbhal," meaning "fierce in battle," from the Celtic root "car," meaning "cart." 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 Carroll (43.21 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 are called Carroll?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Carroll, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.