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#1,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201920peak #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.

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 1920

girls
#4,975
5 births · 1 in 239,658 girls
boys
#635
98 births · 1 in 10,861 boys

Top girls' names in 1920

  1. #1Mary70,983
  2. #2Dorothy36,643
  3. #3Helen35,097
  4. #4Margaret27,994
  5. #5Ruth26,102
  6. #6Mildred18,060
  7. #7Virginia17,314
  8. #8Elizabeth15,908
  9. #9Frances15,883
  10. #10Anna14,581
  11. #4,975Carter5

Top boys' names in 1920

  1. #1John56,913
  2. #2William50,146
  3. #3Robert48,679
  4. #4James47,908
  5. #5Charles28,309
  6. #6George26,891
  7. #7Joseph25,587
  8. #8Edward20,097
  9. #9Frank16,430
  10. #10Richard15,010
  11. #635Carter98
More about 1920

girls

1,198,289 girls got a published name in 1920; 1 in 239,658 of them was named Carter, which outranked 13.7% of the 5,767 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 23.2% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Carter
  1. #4,398Zollie6
  2. #4,398Zonie6
  3. #4,398Zuma6
  4. #4,975Carter5
  5. #4,975Acie5
  6. #4,975Addell5
  7. #4,975Adrine5

Tied with 792 names at #4,975; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1919
Risers
  1. 550Denise#1,481#931
  2. 321Blossom#1,242#921
  3. 311Lilia#1,242#931
  4. 302Ena#1,270#968
  5. 277Lorayne#1,216#939
Fallers
  1. 594Haruko#917#1,511
  2. 511Roselle#1,000#1,511
  3. 345Toshiko#967#1,312
  4. 304Carroll#902#1,206
  5. 297Santina#835#1,132

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

boys

1,064,356 boys got a published name in 1920; 1 in 10,861 of them was named Carter, which outranked 87.3% of the 4,989 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 31.6% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Carter
  1. #630Carson99
  2. #630Emmet99
  3. #630Rosario99
  4. #635Carter98
  5. #635Alvis98
  6. #635Dana98
  7. #635Julio98
  8. #640Dee97
  9. #640Ignacio97
  10. #640Ignatius97

Tied with 4 names at #635; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1919
Risers
  1. 960Harding#1,351#391
  2. 607Cameron#1,351#744
  3. 566Hardin#1,531#965
  4. 392Laurel#1,321#929
  5. 368Terrence#1,297#929
Fallers
  1. 789Pershing#593#1,382
  2. 580Woodroe#877#1,457
  3. 385Quinten#867#1,252
  4. 383Orvel#890#1,273
  5. 373Rexford#927#1,300

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

See the top 100 for 1920