Every Boy Name

Boy's name

Carter

Say it KAR-ter 2 syllables

English · “carter; or son of Arthur (Irish)”

Common across England and Wales, three Canadian provinces, Scotland, and 5 more places. Rare in France, Italy, Poland, and 17 more places.

1 in 302 boys born in Scotland in 2025. Number 79 there.

Carter in every place

Rank, count and share in all 40 places: loved in 0, common in 10, rare in 20.
Carter in every place we hold figures for
Place Rankyear Boysshare 5 years earlier
British Isles
England and Wales97 (down)20255361 in 507642020
Scotland79 (down)2025651 in 302532020
Northern Ireland114 (down)2025201 in 414962020
Ireland317 (down)2025131 in 1,8251552020
North America
Ontario (province)55 (down)2024198about 1 in 302362019
Quebec (province)354 (down)202513about 1 in 2,2353132020
British Columbia (province)91 (down)202338about 1 in 343282018
Nova Scotia (province)20 (down)202518182020
Oceania
New South Wales (state)70 (down)2025115652020
Victoria (state)100 (new in the list)202575Not listed2020
Queensland (state)422025111422020
South Australia (state)42 (up)202535682020
New Zealand33 (down)202585242020
Western Europe
France3,125 (up)202551 in 60,5383,1962020
NetherlandsRare: below the complete list2025Not listed2020
Central Europe
AustriaRare: below the complete list2025Not listed2020
SwitzerlandRare: below the complete list2025Not listed2020
Berlin (city)Rare: below the complete list2023Not listed2018
Munich (city)Rare: below the complete list2025Not listed2020
Cologne (city)Rare: below the complete list2023Not listed2018
Bonn (city)Rare: below the complete list2025Not listed2020
Leipzig (city)Rare: below the complete list2025Not listed2020
Rostock (city)Rare: below the complete list2025Not listed2020
Nordic countries
NorwayRare: below the complete list2025Not listed2020
SwedenRare: below the complete list2025Not listed2020
DenmarkNot in the published top 502025Not listed2020
FinlandNot in the published top 502025No list2020
IcelandNot in the published top 102025No list2020
Southern Europe
SpainNot in the published top 1002024Not listed2019
Catalonia (region)Rare: below the complete list2025Not listed2020
ItalyRare: below the complete list2024Not listed2019
Central and Eastern Europe
PolandRare: below the complete list2025Not listed2020
HungaryNot in the published top 1002025Not listed2020
SloveniaRare: below the complete list2025Not listed2020
EstoniaNot in the published top 272025Not listed2020
Moscow (city)Not in the published top 612025Not listed2020
CroatiaNot in the published top 502025No list2020
Middle East
TurkeyNot in the published top 302025Not listed2020
IsraelRare: below the complete list2024Not listed2019
Latin America
ArgentinaNot in the published top 202024Not listed2019

Germany publishes no national list; the German rows are city registers. About: the publisher leaves out its smallest names, so the share is approximate. ▲ and ▼ compare the rank with five years earlier. Not listed five years earlier: not in that year’s list. No list: the place published no list that year. How these figures are computed.

About the name

Carter is a surname given as a first name, and it has two separate roots. As an English name it comes from the trade of the carter, a person who drove a cart carrying goods. As an Irish name it comes from Mac Artuir, "son of Arthur".

2 more paragraphs

KAR-ter has two syllables with the stress on the first and a crisp, practical sound, much like other occupational names such as Mason and Hunter. There are no common alternative spellings.

Carter is chiefly an Australian and New Zealand choice, ranking in the top 50 in New Zealand, Queensland and South Australia, and it is barely used in continental Europe. It peaked in Canada around 2013 and is now falling in more places than it is rising.

Meaning, origin and how to say it

Say it
KAR-ter · 2 syllables · Stress on beat 1 of 2.
Meaning
“carter; or son of Arthur (Irish)”
Origin
English and Irish
Where Carter comes from (Wiktionary)

Given name from the surname. As an English name, from the occupation carter; as an Irish name, from Mac Artuir, literally "son of Arthur".

Shortened from the Wiktionary entry for Carter. Text available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Carter over time

Rising in 1 of the 12 regions we can compare over five years, falling in 5. Peak in Ontario and British Columbia: 2013.

Rank in England and Wales, 1996 to 2025

Carter in England and Wales: #755 in 1996, a peak of #60 in 2018, and #97 in 2025.

#1#10#50#100#300#1,000200020052010201520202025Top 101996: #755, 20 boys1997: #476, 40 boys1998: #538, 35 boys1999: #481, 42 boys2000: #445, 47 boys2001: #339, 75 boys2002: #267, 106 boys2003: #308, 91 boys2004: #315, 94 boys2005: #276, 117 boys2006: #261, 142 boys2007: #240, 174 boys2008: #258, 168 boys2009: #207, 228 boys2010: #251, 188 boys2011: #194, 274 boys2012: #135, 461 boys2013: #129, 463 boys2014: #118, 530 boys2015: #94, 689 boys2016: #82, 839 boys2017: #62, 1,025 boys2018: #60, 1,030 boys2019: #63, 1,001 boys2020: #64, 940 boys2021: #69, 825 boys2022: #75, 738 boys2023: #86, 603 boys2024: #103, 520 boys2025: #97, 536 boys#755 in 1996peak #60, 2018#97in 2025
Show the numbers
YearRankBoys
199675520
199747640
199853835
199948142
200044547
200133975
2002267106
200330891
200431594
2005276117
2006261142
2007240174
2008258168
2009207228
2010251188
2011194274
2012135461
2013129463
2014118530
201594689
201682839
2017621,025
2018601,030
2019631,001
202064940
202169825
202275738
202386603
2024103520
202597536

Source: Office for National Statistics (OGL v3)

The long view: in Ontario and British Columbia

Half of the boys named Carter in Ontario and British Columbia since 1925 were born in or after 2011. Peak: 2013, about 859 per 100,000 boys. Babies per 100,000 boys, five-year periods.

1925-1929: 0 per 100,000 boys1930-1934: 0 per 100,000 boys1935-1939: 0 per 100,000 boys1940-1944: 0 per 100,000 boys19401945-1949: 0 per 100,000 boys1950-1954: 0 per 100,000 boys1955-1959: 1.3 per 100,000 boys1960-1964: 1.1 per 100,000 boys19601965-1969: 0 per 100,000 boys1970-1974: 0 per 100,000 boys1975-1979: 0 per 100,000 boys1980-1984: 0 per 100,000 boys19801985-1989: 11.2 per 100,000 boys1990-1994: 48.6 per 100,000 boys1995-1999: 177.4 per 100,000 boys2000-2004: 440.3 per 100,000 boys20002005-2009: 664.2 per 100,000 boys2010-2014: 787.5 per 100,000 boys2015-2019: 623 per 100,000 boys2020-2024: 428.2 per 100,000 boys20202010-2014: about 1 in 127 boys
Show the numbers
YearsPer 100,000 boys
1925–19290
1930–19340
1935–19390
1940–19440
1945–19490
1950–19540
1955–19591.3
1960–19641.1
1965–19690
1970–19740
1975–19790
1980–19840
1985–198911.2
1990–199448.6
1995–1999177.4
2000–2004440.3
2005–2009664.2
2010–2014787.5
2015–2019623
2020–2024428.2

Source: Ontario Office of the Registrar General (Ontario Data Catalogue) (OGL-Ontario); BC Vital Statistics Agency (BC Data Catalogue) (OGL-BC). Dark bar: the period holding the median birth year.

Brothers and middle names for Carter

Brother names

Names that rose and fell with Carter, from the same generation, with no clashing sounds.

  1. 1 in 731, England and Wales

  2. 1 in 143, Scotland

  3. 1 in 449, England and Wales

  4. 1 in 281, Scotland

  5. 1 in 196, Scotland

  6. 1 in 558, England and Wales

  7. 1 in 1,801, England and Wales

  8. 1 in 226, England and Wales

  9. 1 in 1,380, Northern Ireland

  10. 1 in 468, Scotland

All 40 brother names for Carter

Middle names

Scored for rhythm against Carter's 2 syllables and for long, steady use.

  1. 1 in 50, Ireland

  2. 1 in 61, Northern Ireland

  3. 1 in 103, England and Wales

  4. 1 in 62, Poland

  5. 1 in 86, England and Wales

  6. 1 in 88, England and Wales

  7. 1 in 137, Scotland

  8. 1 in 224, Northern Ireland

Full-name check

Carter Jack

Syllables 2-1Initials C.J.No sound clashes between the parts.

All 40 middle names for Carter

Sisters for Carter: Violet, Sadie, Scarlett, and 5 more
  1. VioletRose and fell with Carter · Same generation as Carter
  2. SadieRose and fell with Carter · Same generation as Carter
  3. ScarlettRose and fell with Carter · Same generation as Carter
  4. CallieRose and fell with Carter · Same generation as Carter · Same initial as Carter
  5. AutumnRose and fell with Carter · Same generation as Carter
  6. MadisonRose and fell with Carter · Same generation as Carter
  7. QuinnRose and fell with Carter · Same generation as Carter
  8. SiennaRose and fell with Carter · Same generation as Carter

Girls' names from the same engine, over the girls' lists of the same publishers.

Moved with Carter

The boy names whose popularity rose and fell most like Carter's across every region and decade we hold.

  1. Rare in France, Italy, Poland, and 17 more places.

  2. Rare across France, the UK, Italy, and 18 more places.

  3. Rare in France, Italy, Poland, and 17 more places.

  4. Rare in France, Italy, Poland, and 16 more places.

  5. Rare in France, Italy, Poland, and 19 more places.

  6. Rare in France, England and Wales, Italy, and 18 more places.

  7. Rare in France, England and Wales, Italy, and 18 more places.

  8. Rare in all 24 places we hold figures for.

Famous people named Carter

Carter Burwell, Carter Jenkins, and 6 more

From Wikidata, ranked by how many Wikipedia language editions have an article on them. People: Wikidata (CC0). Links go to Wikipedia in this page's language when an article exists, else English.

Questions about Carter

How popular is Carter in New Zealand?

Carter ranked #33 in New Zealand in 2025, given to 85 boys.

Is Carter rising in popularity?

Not overall: it is falling in more places than it is rising. Rising in 1 of the 12 regions we can compare over five years, falling in 5. Rising in: South Australia.

What does Carter mean?

Carter means “carter; or son of Arthur (Irish)”, according to Wiktionary.

How many syllables does Carter have?

Carter has 2 syllables: KAR-ter.

Every rank and count on this page comes from an official birth register. How these figures are computed.

Meanings, origins and people: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0), Wikidata (CC0).

The 42 birth registers behind these figures

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Kept names collect here.

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