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Carter Name Origin: English
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Pronunciation: car-terr
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See what 8 people think about Carter
Carter Name Meaning
Carter is an English name meaning “cart user.” Once uncommon in use, he’s risen to become a favorite among American parents.
Carter covers a lot of bases when it comes to trends. Like Carson and Lucas, he has the edgy surname feel parents are loving. He also has the hardworking roots of an occupational name like Mason or Cooper. To complete the trifecta, he’s also a unisex name, though more common among boys that girls. For history lovers, Carter has the added bonus of being a presidential name, as he’s the surname of President Jimmy Carter.
Carter has an upscale feel like Preston or Parker yet manages to avoid feeling pretentious or out of reach. He’s a popular choice on the playground but doesn’t feel as trendy as other names on the scene. He’s in his own unique realm of funky fresh, keeping things cool with his smooth sound and effortless appeal.
While the name is relatively new in popularity stateside, Carter ages well from childhood and beyond. He doesn’t feel juvenile in any way and wears well on professionals and students alike.
A less popular alternative spelling of the name is Karter and similar names include Carson, Connor, and Thatcher.
Infographic of Carter name meaning, which is A name of English origin, Carter means cart user.
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Carter Name Popularity
How popular is the name Carter? Here’s everything we know.
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In 2018 Carter was the 24th most popular boys name, representing 0.6778% of boy births in the U.S.
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Since 1910 Carter has been the 209th most popular boys name, representing 0.1028% of boy births in the U.S.
| Year |
Rank |
# Births |
% Births |
| 1910 |
— |
0 |
0% |
| 1911 |
— |
0 |
0% |
| 1912 |
624 |
16 |
0.0032% |
| 1913 |
1,106 |
5 |
0.0009% |
| 1914 |
589 |
38 |
0.0055% |
| 1915 |
685 |
39 |
0.0043% |
| 1916 |
633 |
51 |
0.0053% |
| 1917 |
645 |
52 |
0.0052% |
| 1918 |
673 |
50 |
0.0047% |
| 1919 |
604 |
65 |
0.0062% |
| 1920 |
638 |
62 |
0.0056% |
| 1921 |
838 |
31 |
0.0027% |
| 1922 |
708 |
50 |
0.0045% |
| 1923 |
791 |
36 |
0.0032% |
| 1924 |
613 |
73 |
0.0063% |
| 1925 |
711 |
46 |
0.0041% |
| 1926 |
724 |
43 |
0.0039% |
| 1927 |
741 |
41 |
0.0037% |
| 1928 |
797 |
33 |
0.0031% |
| 1929 |
783 |
32 |
0.0031% |
| 1930 |
904 |
22 |
0.0021% |
| 1931 |
719 |
37 |
0.0037% |
| 1932 |
891 |
20 |
0.002% |
| 1933 |
714 |
35 |
0.0038% |
| 1934 |
633 |
52 |
0.0054% |
| 1935 |
633 |
52 |
0.0054% |
| 1936 |
657 |
42 |
0.0044% |
| 1937 |
665 |
43 |
0.0044% |
| 1938 |
562 |
72 |
0.007% |
| 1939 |
749 |
30 |
0.0029% |
| 1940 |
821 |
25 |
0.0024% |
| 1941 |
661 |
47 |
0.0042% |
| 1942 |
712 |
46 |
0.0036% |
| 1943 |
584 |
76 |
0.0058% |
| 1944 |
559 |
80 |
0.0065% |
| 1945 |
553 |
77 |
0.0063% |
| 1946 |
545 |
97 |
0.0066% |
| 1947 |
530 |
121 |
0.0072% |
| 1948 |
576 |
93 |
0.0058% |
| 1949 |
522 |
122 |
0.0076% |
| 1950 |
538 |
116 |
0.0072% |
| 1951 |
531 |
123 |
0.0073% |
| 1952 |
614 |
84 |
0.0048% |
| 1953 |
572 |
113 |
0.0064% |
| 1954 |
551 |
130 |
0.0071% |
| 1955 |
617 |
101 |
0.0055% |
| 1956 |
559 |
137 |
0.0073% |
| 1957 |
710 |
68 |
0.0035% |
| 1958 |
635 |
100 |
0.0053% |
| 1959 |
667 |
90 |
0.0047% |
| 1960 |
671 |
88 |
0.0046% |
| 1961 |
713 |
72 |
0.0038% |
| 1962 |
701 |
76 |
0.0041% |
| 1963 |
659 |
96 |
0.0053% |
| 1964 |
685 |
82 |
0.0047% |
| 1965 |
733 |
59 |
0.0036% |
| 1966 |
740 |
55 |
0.0035% |
| 1967 |
653 |
88 |
0.0058% |
| 1968 |
692 |
70 |
0.0047% |
| 1969 |
659 |
101 |
0.0066% |
| 1970 |
659 |
103 |
0.0065% |
| 1971 |
644 |
119 |
0.0079% |
| 1972 |
664 |
99 |
0.0073% |
| 1973 |
783 |
59 |
0.0046% |
| 1974 |
760 |
69 |
0.0053% |
| 1975 |
670 |
104 |
0.0081% |
| 1976 |
666 |
104 |
0.0081% |
| 1977 |
876 |
53 |
0.0039% |
| 1978 |
1,207 |
20 |
0.0015% |
| 1979 |
1,282 |
19 |
0.0013% |
| 1980 |
996 |
40 |
0.0027% |
| 1981 |
957 |
46 |
0.0031% |
| 1982 |
834 |
69 |
0.0046% |
| 1983 |
924 |
49 |
0.0033% |
| 1984 |
781 |
78 |
0.0052% |
| 1985 |
691 |
112 |
0.0074% |
| 1986 |
701 |
117 |
0.0078% |
| 1987 |
639 |
155 |
0.0102% |
| 1988 |
583 |
206 |
0.0132% |
| 1989 |
561 |
255 |
0.0158% |
| 1990 |
571 |
272 |
0.0164% |
| 1991 |
487 |
370 |
0.0227% |
| 1992 |
444 |
455 |
0.0285% |
| 1993 |
419 |
513 |
0.0329% |
| 1994 |
424 |
504 |
0.0328% |
| 1995 |
286 |
894 |
0.0593% |
| 1996 |
243 |
1,199 |
0.0801% |
| 1997 |
204 |
1,523 |
0.103% |
| 1998 |
187 |
1,785 |
0.1193% |
| 1999 |
179 |
1,938 |
0.1294% |
| 2000 |
152 |
2,547 |
0.1667% |
| 2001 |
111 |
3,430 |
0.2276% |
| 2002 |
107 |
3,473 |
0.2318% |
| 2003 |
102 |
4,171 |
0.2742% |
| 2004 |
89 |
5,003 |
0.3283% |
| 2005 |
77 |
5,899 |
0.3858% |
| 2006 |
75 |
6,431 |
0.4107% |
| 2007 |
80 |
6,100 |
0.3866% |
| 2008 |
65 |
7,062 |
0.4569% |
| 2009 |
50 |
8,167 |
0.5464% |
| 2010 |
48 |
8,152 |
0.5657% |
| 2011 |
41 |
8,596 |
0.6034% |
| 2012 |
36 |
9,258 |
0.6497% |
| 2013 |
33 |
9,569 |
0.6721% |
| 2014 |
27 |
10,671 |
0.7324% |
| 2015 |
24 |
10,771 |
0.7403% |
| 2016 |
26 |
10,168 |
0.7052% |
| 2017 |
24 |
9,753 |
0.6988% |
| 2018 |
24 |
9,312 |
0.6778% |
District of Columbia (DC)
Data via SSA.gov.
Names Like Carter
If you like Carter, you’ll love these other names like Carter.
What names are diminutives of Carter?
A diminutive is a name that’s like Carter sounds, you might also like these names that sound like Carter, but shorter.
| Name |
Meaning |
Origin |
Popularity |
Other Gender |
|
Art
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A diminutive form of Arthur.
|
Irish
|
#2,404
(0.0006%)
|
|
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Arte
|
|
Celtic
|
|
|
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Artie
|
Follower of the goddess Artemis
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Greek
|
|
|
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Carr
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From the swampy place.
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Scandinavian
|
|
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What names are variants of Carter?
Mix it up with these names that are a variation of the name Carter.
| Name |
Meaning |
Origin |
Popularity |
Other Gender |
|
Cartere
|
Drives a cart
|
English
|
|
|
|
Cartier
|
One who transports goods
|
English
|
#1,041
(0.0088%)
|
|
|
Cartrell
|
One who transports goods
|
English
|
|
|
What names sound like Carter?
If you like how Carter sounds, you might also like these names that sound like Carter.
| Name |
Meaning |
Origin |
Popularity |
Other Gender |
|
Carl
|
A variant form of Charles.
|
German
|
#704
(0.0202%)
|
|
|
Carlisle
|
Fort at Luguvalium
|
English
|
#2,945
(0.0004%)
|
|
|
Carlo
|
Free man
|
Spanish
|
#1,053
(0.0085%)
|
|
|
Carlos
|
Free man
|
Spanish
|
#137
(0.2058%)
|
|
|
Carlton
|
Free peasant settlement
|
English
|
#2,237
(0.0009%)
|
|
|
Carmelo
|
Orchard;, garden
|
Italian
|
#681
(0.0212%)
|
|
|
Carmen
|
Song
|
Latin
|
|
|
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Carmine
|
Song
|
Latin
|
#1,161
(0.0067%)
|
|
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Carsan
|
Son of the marsh-dwellers
|
Scottish
|
|
|
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Carsen
|
Son of the marsh-dwellers
|
Scottish
|
#1,238
(0.0058%)
|
|
|
Carson
|
Son of Carr
|
Scottish
|
#70
(0.3798%)
|
|
|
Carsten
|
|
|
#2,832
(0.0004%)
|
|
|
Carsyn
|
Alternate Spelling of Carson
|
American
|
#1,356
(0.0044%)
|
|
|
Cartland
|
From the land between the streams
|
English
|
|
|
|
Carver
|
One who carves wood
|
English
|
#1,262
(0.0054%)
|
|
|
Carville
|
Swampy dwelling
|
French
|
|
|
|
Carwyn
|
Love, fair, blessed
|
Welsh
|
|
|
|
Karl
|
Free man
|
German
|
#1,209
(0.006%)
|
|
|
Karsten
|
A variant form of Christian.
|
|
#2,731
(0.0004%)
|
|
What names are similar to Carter?
Find a name that’s like Carter, but just a little bit different.
| Name |
Meaning |
Origin |
Popularity |
Other Gender |
|
Caleb
|
Whole heart
|
Hebrew
|
#45
(0.5043%)
|
|
|
Cameron
|
Crooked nose
|
Scottish
|
#69
(0.3837%)
|
|
|
Conner
|
Dog lover
|
Irish
|
#359
(0.0637%)
|
|
|
Cooper
|
Barrel maker
|
English
|
#83
(0.3232%)
|
|
|
Dylan
|
Great tide
|
Welsh
|
#31
(0.6215%)
|
|
|
Jackson
|
Son of Jack
|
English
|
#17
(0.7514%)
|
|
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Landon
|
Long hill
|
English
|
#61
(0.4241%)
|
|
|
Marshall
|
Caretaker of horses
|
English
|
#346
(0.0659%)
|
|
|
Mason
|
Stoneworker
|
English
|
#9
(0.9051%)
|
|
|
Ryan
|
Little king
|
Irish
|
#46
(0.5026%)
|
|
Lists With Carter
Find inspiration in these baby boy name lists featuring the name Carter.
Siblings of Carter
Mamas with kids named Carter also have kids with these names.
| Name |
Meaning |
Origin |
Popularity |
Other Gender |
|
Harvey
|
Battle ready
|
English
|
#435
(0.047%)
|
|
|
Cohen
|
Priest
|
Hebrew
|
#302
(0.08%)
|
|
|
Delaney
|
From the alder grove
|
English
|
#240
(0.094%)
|
|
|
Sawyer
|
Wood Cutter
|
English
|
#209
(0.102%)
|
|
|
Kate
|
Pure
|
English
|
#277
(0.0827%)
|
|
