Carter Family History

Carter Surname Meaning

English: occupational name for a transporter of goods from Middle English carter(e) ‘carter’ (Anglo-Norman French car(e)tier Old French charetier medieval Latin carettarius carettator). The Old French word coalesced with the earlier Middle English word cart(e) ‘cart’ which is from either Old Norse kartr or Old English cræt, both of which, like the Late Latin word, were probably derived from Celtic.

This surname is also very common among African Americans.

Irish: shortened form of McCarter.

Americanized form of German Karter ‘carder’.

Americanized form (translation into English) of French Cartier.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022

Similar surnames: Carver, Cater, Carder, Canter, Harker, Easter, Barter, Carton, Marter, Garber

3M	Birth, Marriage, and Deaths
350K	Military Records
213K	Immigration Records
2M	Census and Voter Lists
6M	Member Trees

Search for a relative to learn more about your family history.

Where is the Carter family from?

You can see how Carter families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Carter family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Carter families were found in USA in 1880. In 1911 there were 1,902 Carter families living in Ontario. This was about 49% of all the recorded Carter's in Canada. Ontario had the highest population of Carter families in 1911.

Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Carter surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

View Census Data for Carter

What did your Carter ancestors do for a living?

In 1921, Farmer and Stenographer were the top reported jobs for men and women in the Canada named Carter. 30% of Carter men worked as a Farmer and 14% of Carter women worked as a Stenographer. Some less common occupations for Americans named Carter were Carpenter and Clerk.

View Census Data for Carter

Data not to scale

We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Farmer

30%

Labourer

Laborer

Carpenter

Stenographer

14%

Housekeeper

10%

Income

Clerk

What Carter family records will you find?

Census Record

There are 2M census records available for the last name Carter. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Carter census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search Canadian census records for Carter

Passenger List

There are 213K immigration records available for the last name Carter. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in Canada, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Carter immigration records

Military Records

There are 350K military records available for the last name Carter. For the veterans among your Carter ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Carter military records

You've only scratched the surface of Carter family history

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What is the average Carter lifespan?

Between 1940 and 2004, in the United States, Carter life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1941, and highest in 2001. The average life expectancy for Carter in 1940 was 38, and 72 in 2004.

Discover the unique achievements of ancestors in the Carter family tree

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Carter Surname Meaning

This surname is also very common among African Americans.

Irish: shortened form of McCarter.

Americanized form of German Karter ‘carder’.

Americanized form (translation into English) of French Cartier.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022

Where is the Carter family from?

What did your Carter ancestors do for a living?

Data not to scale

We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Farmer

30%

Labourer

Laborer

Carpenter

Stenographer

14%

Housekeeper

10%

Income

Clerk

What Carter family records will you find?

What is the average Carter lifespan?

Between 1940 and 2004, in the United States, Carter life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1941, and highest in 2001. The average life expectancy for Carter in 1940 was 38, and 72 in 2004.

Carter Family History

Carter Surname Meaning

13 million record(s) for Carter

Search for a relative to learn more about your family history.

Where is the Carter family from?

What did your Carter ancestors do for a living?

Top Male Occupations In 1921

Top Female Occupations In 1921

What Carter family records will you find?

Census Record

Passenger List

Military Records

You've only scratched the surface of Carter family history

What is the average Carter lifespan?

Discover the unique achievements of ancestors in the Carter family tree

Search for another surname

Carter Surname Meaning

13 million record(s) for Carter

Search for a relative to learn more about your family history.

Where is the Carter family from?

What did your Carter ancestors do for a living?

Top Male Occupations In 1921

Top Female Occupations In 1921

What Carter family records will you find?

Census Record

Passenger List

Military Records

You've only scratched the surface of Carter family history

What is the average Carter lifespan?

Discover the unique achievements of ancestors in the Carter family tree

Search for another surname