Baby Name Popularity Profile

Carter

Data-driven SSA statistics, rankings, and historical trends for Carter.

✦ Cart driver 🌍 English Traditional
National Rank (2025) #45
All-Time Peak Rank #24 Achieved 2015
Total U.S. Births 206,833 since 1880
Unisex Distribution 95.1% Boy / 4.9% Girl Overwhelmingly Male
Girl Rank (2025) #454 ↗ as a Girl name
First Recorded 1881 Data through: 2025
Peak Decade 2010s 10,814 births in 2015
💡 The Carter Vibe: Considered a Modern Trend. A contemporary choice reflecting current cultural naming rhythms and popularity brackets.

🌍 Meaning & Etymology

Primary Meaning Cart driver
Language Origin English
Origin Type single
Derived from an occupational surname, ultimately from an Old French word 'carretier' meaning 'cart driver'.
Common Nicknames
Cart
Pronunciation: KAR-ter
Themes & Categories
Traditional
Etymology confidence: High

📊 Popularity Over Time (1880 – 2025)

Annual registration volume (number of births) for Carter across 146 years of SSA data.

Historical Timeline (1880 - 2025)
18801920196020002025
Recent Decade (2015 - 2025)
5-Year Trend (2020–2025) -20.5%
10-Year Trend (2015–2025) -44.3%
2015: 10,814 births 10,814 2016: 10,220 births 2017: 9,833 births 2018: 9,385 births 2019: 8,682 births 2020: 7,577 births 7,577 2021: 7,205 births 2022: 6,361 births 2023: 5,878 births 2024: 6,289 births 2025: 6,024 births 6,024
2015 2020 2025

📈 Popularity Milestones

Busiest Year on Record 10,814 births in 2015
Years in Top 100 22 yrs
Years in Top 500 44 yrs
Longest Streak 143 yrs
Decade-by-Decade Registration Volumes
1880s: 100
1890s: 134
1900s: 199
1910s: 680
1920s: 881
1930s: 863
1940s: 1,340
1950s: 1,612
1960s: 1,345
1970s: 1,359
1980s: 1,680
1990s: 9,725
2000s: 52,320
2010s: 95,261
2020s: 39,334

📐 Sound & Spelling Structure

Phonetic Syllables Cart-er
Letter Count 6 letters
Spelling Complexity Moderate
Length Percentile Longer than 25.7% of names
Linguistic Profile: Longer than 25.7% of SSA names. Starts with C, a letter used by only 5.7% of SSA names.

🛠️ Sibling & Surname Cadence Tool

Enter a surname or sibling name to test how it pairs with Carter.

👨‍👩‍👧 Sibling Name Suggestions

👦 Brother Suggestions
Elijah Julian Josiah Parker Damian Easton Sawyer Landon Kayden Declan
👧 Sister Suggestions
Olivia Sophia Harper Stella Sophie Audrey Everly Hadley Ariana Sofia

📍 Authentic State & Regional Rankings

Highest Ranking State Utah
Top States Utah, Idaho, Nevada, South Dakota, Alaska
States with Data 51
State 2025 Rank Total Births Peak Year 5-Yr Velocity
Utah #75 3,817 2005 11.4% Decline
Idaho #22 1,622 2005 +1.9% Growth
Nevada #65 1,189 2016 27.9% Decline
South Dakota #42 1,187 2005 29.0% Decline
Alaska #27 476 2010 Insufficient historical volume
New Hampshire #16 1,063 2013 +46.9% Growth
Wyoming #7 456 2013 Insufficient historical volume
Minnesota #57 6,207 2009 27.2% Decline
Delaware #16 661 2014 34.1% Decline
North Dakota #32 1,056 2008 Insufficient historical volume
Vermont #33 526 2013 Insufficient historical volume
Iowa #44 3,961 2006 26.2% Decline
Arizona #72 3,595 2015 24.8% Decline
Washington #53 4,467 2012 23.3% Decline
Virginia #33 6,250 2014 21.7% Decline
Nebraska #39 2,017 2009 +4.8% Growth
Wisconsin #36 5,309 2009 24.2% Decline
Oregon #42 2,420 2013 7.8% Decline
Georgia #25 7,401 2016 22.5% Decline
Florida #49 8,944 2015 19.9% Decline
Colorado #42 3,120 2014 6.4% Decline
Montana #43 782 2015 30.3% Decline
Indiana #31 6,063 2012 30.0% Decline
North Carolina #28 7,319 2014 19.2% Decline
Missouri #37 5,615 2012 28.3% Decline
Tennessee #29 5,327 2015 11.5% Decline
Ohio #24 11,036 2012 28.9% Decline
Michigan #32 8,972 2012 28.8% Decline
Kansas #23 2,489 2015 +6.6% Growth
Maine #38 1,030 2013 20.6% Decline
Maryland #43 3,427 2014 7.8% Decline
Kentucky #21 3,753 2013 16.3% Decline
South Carolina #23 3,031 2016 15.7% Decline
Alabama #23 3,722 2015 19.3% Decline
Oklahoma #31 2,736 2014 12.7% Decline
Louisiana #25 3,583 2016 24.4% Decline
Arkansas #18 2,096 2014 4.8% Decline
Texas #80 13,774 2014 16.5% Decline
Pennsylvania #31 9,250 2015 29.4% Decline
Connecticut #39 1,858 2018 10.0% Decline
Illinois #43 7,912 2015 23.6% Decline
West Virginia #15 1,444 2016 5.5% Decline
Mississippi #32 1,950 2016 33.3% Decline
California #102 12,413 2015 20.4% Decline
New Jersey #65 3,377 2015 31.1% Decline
Hawaii #70 363 2016 Insufficient historical volume
New York #57 8,972 2014 28.6% Decline
Massachusetts #52 2,678 2015 1.8% Decline
Rhode Island #61 387 2022 Insufficient historical volume
District of Columbia #55 433 2012 Insufficient historical volume
New Mexico #54 498 2015 Insufficient historical volume

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