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Carter

Gender
Boy
Say it
KAR-ter
Origin
English
UK rank, 2025
#94 for boys
US rank, 2025
#45 for boys

Carter is a boys' name of English origin, meaning “cart driver”. In 2025 it ranked 94th for boys in the UK (621 babies) and 45th for boys in the US (6,024 babies).

What does Carter mean?

English: English occupational surname

“cart driver”

Howard Carter, the archaeologist who found Tutankhamun's tomb in 1922, is a famous bearer of the surname.

More on Wiktionary.

Is Carter a girl's or a boy's name?

Carter is a boys' name. In 2025, it was given to 4 girls and 621 boys in the UK and 679 girls and 6,024 boys in the US.

How popular is Carter in the UK?

Rank in 2025
94th among boys
Babies in 2025
621 about 1 in 480 boys
Five-year trend
Falling down 43% in five years
Same name in a class
2.9% chance among 15 boys

In 2025, 621 boys in the UK were named Carter, making it the 94th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 63rd. Its busiest year was 2018, with 1,193 boys. 4 girls were also named Carter in 2025 (4,935th for girls).

Half of all the boys named Carter in the UK since 1996 were born between 2014 and 2021, the years shaded on the chart below.

Among boys in 2025, it was 97th in England and Wales, 79th in Scotland and 114th in Northern Ireland.

1996Busiest: 1,193 in 20182025
Carter in the UK, year by year
YearBoysRank
2025621#94
2024611#99
2023726#78
2022845#76
2021952#71
20201,062#63
20191,164#62
20181,193#59
20171,176#59
2016998#77
2015785#94
2014635#111
2013575#120
2012561#131
2011345#182
2010234#236
2009286#203
2008229#226
2007226#226
2006209#221
2005142#266
2004136#273
2003117#292
2002131#253
200195#321
200058#423
199952#466
199849#473
199749#453
199621#768

How popular is Carter in the US?

Rank in 2025
45th among boys
Babies in 2025
6,024 about 1 in 280 boys
Five-year trend
Falling down 29% in five years
Same name in a class
4.8% chance among 15 boys

In 2025, 6,024 boys in the US were named Carter, making it the 45th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 33rd. Its busiest year was 2015, with 10,814 boys. It first appears in the records in 1881. 679 girls were also named Carter in 2025 (454th for girls).

Half of all the boys named Carter in the US since 1880 were born between 2007 and 2018, the years shaded on the chart below.

1881Busiest: 10,814 in 20152025
Carter in the US, year by year
YearBoysRank
20256,024#45
20246,289#46
20235,878#48
20226,361#47
20217,205#39
20207,577#33
20198,682#30
20189,385#24
20179,833#24
201610,220#26
201510,814#24
201410,691#27
20139,590#33
20129,274#36
20118,608#41
20108,164#48
20098,173#50
20087,069#65
20076,101#80
20066,433#75
20055,899#77
20045,009#89
20034,171#102
20023,480#108
20013,435#111
20002,550#152
19991,944#179
19981,800#189
19971,540#204
19961,216#243
1995919#286
1994544#421
1993550#419
1992487#450
1991391#498
1990334#548
1989294#564
1988265#569
1987213#624
1986182#665
1985175#670
1984137#742
1983116#811
1982119#809
198186#971
198093#924
197964#1,116
197871#1,034
1977121#773
1976158#651
1975162#635
1974142#686
1973131#700
1972163#617
1971191#600
1970156#655
1969150#646
1968124#675
1967140#634
1966127#656
1965113#697
1964132#669
1963158#620
1962130#678
1961132#673
1960139#664
1959132#665
1958166#600
1957139#651
1956176#572
1955149#606
1954191#527
1953161#556
1952156#558
1951172#521
1950170#513
1949178#494
1948150#542
1947178#502
1946149#524
1945124#537
1944122#548
1943130#550
1942112#587
1941109#569
194088#635
193977#675
1938106#568
193799#579
193698#581
1935101#575
193497#597
193377#668
193268#763
193178#677
193062#824
192971#752
192878#722
192785#702
192689#671
192589#678
1924112#603
192383#711
192293#666
192183#722
192098#635
1919107#580
191895#628
191791#620
191683#641
191578#657
191492#508
191337#777
191245#608
191126#597
191026#556
190922#558
190825#499
190718#591
190615#613
190516#592
190425#417
190323#411
190211#686
190113#559
190031#402
189914#521
189814#572
189716#495
189613#592
18959#738
189416#502
189313#538
189218#458
189113#497
18908#739
188911#581
188815#505
188713#488
188615#470
188510#604
188413#520
188311#556
18820–
188112#503

Names like Carter

Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.

Cooper, Hunter, Grayson, Mason, Parker, Hudson, Caleb, Jaxon, Asher, River, Archer, Riley

Other spellings of Carter

Kharter

Names related to Carter

Karter, Cartier

More English names

Lily, Evelyn, Ivy, Harper, Grace, Violet, Willow, Daisy, Poppy, Oakley, Ruby, Hallie, Hazel, Harrison, Ellie, Frankie

Every English name

Sources

Figures from Baby names in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics), Babies' first names (National Records of Scotland), Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency) and Popular Baby Names (US Social Security Administration). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.

To cite this page: Nameling, “Carter: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/carter, updated 20 October 2026.