Carter

#454 for girls in 2025, 679 births · #45 for boys in 2025, 6,024 births
Given to boys 95.4% of the time

Showing
Show data for
Peak · boys
2015 · 10,814 births
Debut · boys
12 births
In top 100 · boys
22 yrs
of 146 years
Total births · boys
206,833
since 1881

Carter over time

boys

Rank among boys' names. Click any year to open it.

#1#10#100#1,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201881peak #24, 2015boys
Hover or use arrow keys to read values by year; click or press Enter to open that year.

Gaps mean fewer than 5 babies received the name that year, so the SSA doesn't publish it.

Show data table
Yeargirlsboys
rankbirthsrankbirths
2025#454679#456,024
2024#508605#466,289
2023#510594#485,878
2022#550553#476,361
2021#501622#397,205
2020#514587#337,577
2019#514611#308,682
2018#478655#249,385
2017#520602#249,833
2016#457703#2610,220
2015#539581#2410,814
2014#790355#2710,691
2013#860300#339,590
2012#1,031246#369,274
2011#1,229195#418,608
2010#1,431160#488,164
2009#1,810119#508,173
2008#2,004104#657,069
2007#2,003102#806,101
2006#1,702123#756,433
2005#1,657120#775,899
2004#1,698114#895,009
2003#1,832101#1024,171
2002#2,41466#1083,480
2001#2,07580#1113,435
2000#1,86991#1522,550
1999#1,89383#1791,944
1998#2,24463#1891,800
1997#2,22961#2041,540
1996#2,08466#2431,216
1995#2,24459#286919
1994#2,75244#421544
1993#2,72544#419550
1992#3,58130#450487
1991#2,84341#498391
1990#3,36432#549334
1989#4,24822#565294
1988#5,32115#569265
1987#3,33127#624213
1986#3,89021#665182
1985#3,51724#670175
1984#4,73715#742137
1983#6,7059#811116
1982#5,53412#809119
1981#5,88511#97186
1980#7,4188#92493
1979—#1,11664
1978#6,3859#1,03471
1977#5,53211#773121
1976#4,36314#651158
1975#5,51610#635162
1974#4,22714#686142
1973#4,87111#700131
1972#5,4809#617163
1971#4,81011#600191
1970#5,4139#655156
1969#5,4568#646150
1968#6,2466#675124
1967—#634140
1966—#656127
1965#4,8318#697113
1964—#669132
1963#5,2967#620158
1962#4,26310#678130
1961#5,8516#674132
1960—#665139
1959#5,0317#666132
1958#6,1035#601166
1957#6,0865#652139
1956#4,8377#573176
1955#4,0699#607149
1954—#528191
1953#4,2268#557161
1952#4,1238#559156
1951#4,0118#522172
1950#4,3157#514170
1949#4,6736#495178
1948#3,5939#543150
1947—#502178
1946—#524149
1945—#537124
1944#4,5745#548122
1943#4,6915#550130
1942—#587112
1941#3,5597#569109
1940#3,8636#63588
1939#3,7826#67577
1938—#568106
1937—#57999
1936—#58198
1935—#575101
1934—#59797
1933—#66877
1932—#76368
1931#3,4977#67778
1930—#82462
1929—#75271
1928—#72278
1927#3,2849#70285
1926—#67189
1925#4,4266#67889
1924—#603112
1923—#71183
1922—#66693
1921—#72283
1920#4,9755#63598
1919—#580107
1918#4,8095#62895
1917—#62091
1916—#64183
1915—#65778
1914—#50892
1913—#77737
1912—#60845
1911—#59726
1910—#55626
1909—#55822
1908—#49925
1907—#59118
1906—#61315
1905—#59216
1904—#41725
1903—#41123
1902—#68711
1901—#55913
1900—#40231
1899—#52114
1898—#57314
1897—#49516
1896—#59213
1895—#7389
1894—#50216
1893—#53813
1892—#45818
1891—#49713
1890—#7398
1889—#58111
1888—#50515
1887—#48813
1886—#47015
1885—#60410
1884—#52013
1883—#55611
1882——
1881—#50312
1880——
First appearance
1881

The first year at least five boys were named Carter! It came in at #503, and was given to 12 baby boys.


Quietest stretch: 1882, when fewer than 5 boys a year got the name.

Where Carter is popular in 1881

The SSA only publishes names by state from 1910 on.

See more about Carter
Momentum · boys
Falling
  • 1 spot since 2024 (#46 → #45)
  • 12 spots since 2020 (#33 → #45)
  • 21 spots since 2015 (#24 → #45)
  • Biggest jump: 276 spots in 1903 (#687 → #411)
  • Biggest drop: 261 spots in 1978 (#773 → #1,034)
Rise & fade · boys
134 yrs to peak
  • Debuted 1881
  • Peaked 2015 at #24 (10,814 births)
  • Not yet halved from its peak
Top of the charts · boys
Top 100 for 22 yrs
  • Top 10: never
  • Top 100: 22 yrs · run 2004–2025
  • Top 1,000: 142 yrs · run 1883–1977
Share of babies · boys
1 in 177
  • Highest: 1 in 177 boys born in 2015 were named Carter (0.56%)
  • Latest: 1 in 284 boys born in 2025 (0.35%)
Era · boys
The 2010s
  • 46.1% of all boys named Carter (95,261) were born in this decade
Show by decade
DecadeBirthsBest rankAvg rank
1880s100#470 (1886)#528
1890s134#458 (1892)#565
1900s199#402 (1900)#533
1910s680#508 (1914)#617
1920s881#603 (1924)#686
1930s863#568 (1938)#651
1940s1,340#495 (1949)#549
1950s1,612#514 (1950)#578
1960s1,345#620 (1963)#661
1970s1,359#600 (1971)#747
1980s1,680#565 (1989)#735
1990s9,725#179 (1999)#344
2000s52,320#50 (2009)#91
2010s95,261#24 (2015)#31
2020s39,334#33 (2020)#43

All figures count published births only (names given to at least 5 boys in a year). Registrations before 1937 are incomplete, so early shares and totals run low.

Carter in 1881

boys
#503
12 births · 1 in 8,395 boys

Top boys' names in 1881

  1. #1John8,768
  2. #2William8,524
  3. #3James5,441
  4. #4George4,664
  5. #5Charles4,636
  6. #6Frank2,834
  7. #7Joseph2,456
  8. #8Henry2,339
  9. #9Thomas2,282
  10. #10Edward2,177
  11. #503Carter12
More about 1881

boys

100,735 boys got a published name in 1881; 1 in 8,395 of them was named Carter, which outranked 49.5% of the 996 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 43.8% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Carter
  1. #487Noel13
  2. #487Valentine13
  3. #487Wellington13
  4. #503Carter12
  5. #503Abel12
  6. #503Adrian12
  7. #503Alphonse12
  8. #533Alton11
  9. #533Asbury11
  10. #533Bart11

Tied with 29 names at #503; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1880
Risers
  1. ↑ 491Noble#809 → #318
  2. ↑ 449Ivy#909 → #460
  3. ↑ 449Buck#909 → #460
  4. ↑ 376Chin#909 → #533
  5. ↑ 376Ransom#909 → #533
Fallers
  1. ↓ 431Neil#350 → #781
  2. ↓ 378Alvah#403 → #781
  3. ↓ 361Webster#505 → #866
  4. ↓ 356Melville#425 → #781
  5. ↓ 316Hector#465 → #781

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

See the top 100 for 1881 →