Carter
Carter is a boys' name of English origin meaning “transporter of goods by cart.” It ranked #26 in the United States in 2025. An English occupational surname turned given name.
how do you pronounce Carter?
KAR-ter
Hear it spoken aloud with our AI pronunciation tool.
what does Carter mean?
The name Carter means “transporter of goods by cart.” It comes from the English language tradition.
An English occupational surname turned given name. It rose sharply in the United States in the 2000s, influenced by celebrity culture and the surname-as-first-name trend.
where does the name Carter come from?
An English occupational surname for someone who transported goods by cart, from the Old Norse kartr by way of Anglo-Norman. Carting was ordinary, essential work, which is why the surname is among the commonest occupational names in England.
the history of Carter
Howard Carter opened Tutankhamun's tomb in 1922, and Jimmy Carter carried the name to the American presidency and then to a Nobel Peace Prize. Its conversion to a given name is recent and overwhelmingly American, climbing into the top thirty for boys through the 2010s alongside Hudson, Parker and the other occupational surnames.
how popular is this name?
| Year | Rank |
|---|---|
| 2024 | #26 |
| 2023 | #27 |
| 2022 | #28 |
| 2021 | #30 |
| 2020 | #33 |
Source: SSA National Baby Names Dataset
what are the nicknames and variants of Carter?
Nicknames
Variants around the world
who are famous people named Carter?
- Carter G. Woodson
- Carter Reynolds
- Nick Carter
what names are similar to Carter?
what names go well with Carter?
Sibling names that share Carter's rhythm and register without echoing it too closely.
Last reviewed April 30, 2026 · Curated by HushName editorial
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