2000
#1,522
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 21,654
First available Census row
Per 100,000 8.03
Uncommon Last name
Cartwright
An occupational surname referring to a maker or repairer of carts or wagons.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 24,195 Americans carry the last name Cartwright. That puts it at #1,663 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 7.06 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 14,166 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cartwright 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 Cartwright with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
24K
1 in 14,166
Census rank
#1,663
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
7.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
21K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 21,099 bearers of the surname Cartwright in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 7.06 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1663rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cartwright, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.8%. The next largest groups are Black (16.6%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cartwright
The surname Cartwright is an English occupational name derived from the Old English words 'cræt' meaning cart, and 'wyrhta' meaning maker or builder. It originates from the medieval times, referring to a person who built or repaired carts and wagons.
The earliest recorded instance of the Cartwright surname dates back to the late 12th century in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire, where a Richard le Cartwricht was mentioned in 1197. In the Hundred Rolls of 1273, a Robert le Cartwright was listed in Cambridgeshire.
The name is also found in the famous Domesday Book of 1086, which was a census commissioned by William the Conqueror. In this record, there are several references to individuals with the title 'Cartuarius' or 'Carectarius', which were Latin forms of the word Cartwright.
During the Middle Ages, the Cartwright surname was particularly common in the counties of Yorkshire, Lancashire, and Cheshire, where there was a strong tradition of cart and wagon-making. The surname also appeared in various medieval records such as the Pipe Rolls, the Feet of Fines, and the Hearth Tax Returns.
One notable Cartwright from history was Thomas Cartwright (1535-1603), an English Puritan theologian and leader of the Presbyterian movement. He was a prominent figure in the Elizabethan era and was involved in the Vestiarian Controversy, which was a debate over the use of clerical vestments in the Church of England.
Another famous Cartwright was William Cartwright (1611-1643), an English dramatist and poet who was considered one of the most prominent writers of the Cavalier period. He was a contemporary of John Milton and was known for his plays such as "The Royal Slave" and "The Lady Errant."
In the 18th century, Edmund Cartwright (1743-1823) was an English inventor and clergyman who is best known for inventing the power loom in 1785. His invention revolutionized the textile industry and contributed to the Industrial Revolution in Britain.
The Cartwright surname also has connections to various place names in England, such as Cartworth in West Yorkshire, Carterknowle in Sheffield, and Carterton in Oxfordshire. These place names likely derived from the Cartwright surname, reflecting the presence of Cartwrights in those areas.
Another notable Cartwright was John Cartwright (1740-1824), an English naval officer and political reformer who advocated for parliamentary reform and universal suffrage. He played a significant role in the Radical Movement of the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cartwright
Among Census respondents with the surname Cartwright, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.8%. The next largest groups are Black (16.6%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Cartwright 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 Cartwright surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White73.8% · 15,561
- Black or African American16.6% · 3,511
- Two or more races4.8% · 1,017
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 697
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 158
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 155
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cartwright
Cartwright 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
#1,626
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 22,156
+502 bearers (+2.3%)
Per 100,000 7.51
Rank movement Down 104 places
2020
#1,663
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 21,099
-1,057 bearers (-4.8%)
Per 100,000 7.06
Rank movement Down 37 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,522 | 21,654 | 8.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,626 | 22,156 | 7.51 | +502 bearers (+2.3%) | Down 104 places |
| 2020 | #1,663 | 21,099 | 7.06 | -1,057 bearers (-4.8%) | Down 37 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 Cartwright 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 | #1,626 | #1,663 | -2.3% |
| Count | 22,156 | 21,099 | -4.8% |
| Per 100K | 7.51 | 7.06 | -6.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cartwright bearers went from 22,156 to 21,099 (-4.8% change). The surname moved down 37 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,626 to #1,663.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Cartwright
FAQ
Cartwright surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cartwright?
Name Census estimates that about 24,195 living Americans carry the surname Cartwright. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 14,166 residents.
How common is Cartwright?
Cartwright ranks #1,663 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 7.06 per 100,000 residents, which is about 7 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 21,099 people with the surname Cartwright. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (24,195), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 7.06 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 7.06 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 7 of them to have the surname Cartwright.
Has Cartwright become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cartwright went from 22,156 recorded bearers to 21,099. That is a decrease of 1,057 (-4.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,626 to #1,663.
What does the Census say about the background of Cartwright?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cartwright, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.8%. The next largest groups are Black (16.6%) and Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Cartwright in the 2020 Census, accounting for 73.8% (15,561 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cartwright appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (73.8%), Black (16.6%), Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Cartwright (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 Cartwright mean?
An occupational surname referring to a maker or repairer of carts or wagons. 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 Cartwright (7.06 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 Cartwright?
Find out how common the surname Cartwright is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.