2000
#537
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 55,821
First available Census row
Per 100,000 20.69
Uncommon Last name
Carson
A surname of Scottish and Northern Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic word meaning "son of the marsh dwellers."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 61,960 Americans carry the last name Carson. That puts it at #608 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 18.08 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 5,532 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Carson 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 Carson with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
62K
1 in 5,532
Census rank
#608
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
18.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
54K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 54,032 bearers of the surname Carson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 18.08 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 608th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Carson, the largest self-reported group is White at 69.0%. The next largest groups are Black (21.4%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Carson
The surname Carson has its origins in Scotland, emerging in the 13th century. It is derived from the Gaelic personal name "Carsane," which means "rocky place." The earliest known bearers of this name resided in the regions of Ayrshire and Lanarkshire.
One of the earliest historical references to the name Carson can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which lists those who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England after his conquest of Scotland. The entry "William de Carsan" is recorded in these rolls, suggesting the name's use during this time period.
In the 16th century, the Carson surname appeared in various Scottish records, including the Register of the Great Seal of Scotland, where the name was spelled as "Carsane" and "Carsoun." This indicates the name's evolution from its original Gaelic form.
The earliest recorded example of the Carson surname dates back to 1548, when a John Carson was listed in the records of the Burgh of Prestwick, located in Ayrshire, Scotland.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the Carson surname. One of the most famous is Rachel Carson (1907-1964), an American marine biologist and conservationist whose book "Silent Spring" (1962) is considered a pivotal work in the modern environmental movement.
Another prominent figure is Samuel Carson (1798-1838), an American politician and lawyer who served as a United States Representative from North Carolina in the 1820s.
Sir Edward Carson (1854-1935), an Irish unionist politician and judge, played a significant role in the formation of Northern Ireland and served as the first Lord Chief Justice of Northern Ireland.
John Carson (1760-1835), an American politician and soldier, represented Virginia in the United States House of Representatives and served in the American Revolutionary War.
Christopher "Kit" Carson (1809-1868) was a renowned American frontiersman, trapper, and guide who led expeditions and military campaigns throughout the American West.
Place names and older spellings of places have also contributed to the Carson surname. For example, the town of Carson City in Nevada is named after the famous frontiersman Kit Carson.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Carson
Among Census respondents with the surname Carson, the largest self-reported group is White at 69.0%. The next largest groups are Black (21.4%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Carson 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 Carson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White69.0% · 37,305
- Black or African American21.4% · 11,543
- Two or more races4.6% · 2,478
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 1,920
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 431
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 355
Timeline
Historical Census data for Carson
Carson 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
#593
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 56,872
+1,051 bearers (+1.9%)
Per 100,000 19.28
Rank movement Down 56 places
2020
#608
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 54,032
-2,840 bearers (-5.0%)
Per 100,000 18.08
Rank movement Down 15 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #537 | 55,821 | 20.69 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #593 | 56,872 | 19.28 | +1,051 bearers (+1.9%) | Down 56 places |
| 2020 | #608 | 54,032 | 18.08 | -2,840 bearers (-5.0%) | Down 15 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 Carson 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 | #593 | #608 | -2.5% |
| Count | 56,872 | 54,032 | -5.0% |
| Per 100K | 19.28 | 18.08 | -6.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Carson bearers went from 56,872 to 54,032 (-5.0% change). The surname moved down 15 positions in the national ranking, going from #593 to #608.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Carson
FAQ
Carson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Carson?
Name Census estimates that about 61,960 living Americans carry the surname Carson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 5,532 residents.
How common is Carson?
Carson ranks #608 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 18.08 per 100,000 residents, which is about 18 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 54,032 people with the surname Carson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (61,960), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 18.08 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 18.08 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 18 of them to have the surname Carson.
Has Carson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Carson went from 56,872 recorded bearers to 54,032. That is a decrease of 2,840 (-5.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #593 to #608.
What does the Census say about the background of Carson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Carson, the largest self-reported group is White at 69.0%. The next largest groups are Black (21.4%) and Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Carson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 69.0% (37,305 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Carson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (69.0%), Black (21.4%), Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Carson (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 Carson mean?
A surname of Scottish and Northern Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic word meaning "son of the marsh dwellers." 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 Carson (18.08 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 Carson?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.