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#1,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201972peak #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 1972

girls
#5,480
9 births · 1 in 169,027 girls
boys
#617
163 births · 1 in 9,949 boys

Top girls' names in 1972

  1. #1Jennifer63,600
  2. #2Michelle29,285
  3. #3Lisa27,543
  4. #4Kimberly26,282
  5. #5Amy25,873
  6. #6Angela23,561
  7. #7Melissa22,494
  8. #8Stephanie16,890
  9. #9Heather16,320
  10. #10Nicole15,755
  11. #5,480Carter9

Top boys' names in 1972

  1. #1Michael71,393
  2. #2Christopher52,172
  3. #3James47,063
  4. #4David46,322
  5. #5John43,158
  6. #6Robert43,013
  7. #7Jason37,423
  8. #8Brian36,306
  9. #9William30,510
  10. #10Matthew22,928
  11. #617Carter163
More about 1972

girls

1,521,244 girls got a published name in 1972; 1 in 169,027 of them was named Carter, which outranked 43.3% of the 9,666 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 17.6% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Carter
  1. #5,109Yvone10
  2. #5,109Zenda10
  3. #5,109Zola10
  4. #5,480Carter9
  5. #5,480Abbigail9
  6. #5,480Adelia9
  7. #5,480Adrinne9
  8. #5,959Abelina8
  9. #5,959Adinah8
  10. #5,959Adonna8

Tied with 478 names at #5,480; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1971
Risers
  1. 5,804Camisha#6,619#815
  2. 3,921Catina#4,123#202
  3. 1,842Cherilyn#2,665#823
  4. 1,789Chasity#2,542#753
  5. 1,694Keena#2,542#848
Fallers
  1. 517Shayla#836#1,353
  2. 428Raina#798#1,226
  3. 280Kendall#742#1,022
  4. 275Alycia#951#1,226
  5. 255Charisse#727#982

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

boys

1,621,608 boys got a published name in 1972; 1 in 9,949 of them was named Carter, which outranked 89.3% of the 5,751 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 26.5% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Carter
  1. #612Torrey166
  2. #615Dirk164
  3. #615Tory164
  4. #617Carter163
  5. #618Winston162
  6. #619Al161
  7. #619Gerry161
Biggest movers since 1971
Risers
  1. 2,755Demond#3,146#391
  2. 1,286Cade#2,279#993
  3. 905Vidal#1,526#621
  4. 855Damond#1,784#929
  5. 849Kareem#1,254#405
Fallers
  1. 413Rich#914#1,327
  2. 401Monroe#947#1,348
  3. 317Laura#990#1,307
  4. 309Von#976#1,285
  5. 309Westley#998#1,307

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

See the top 100 for 1972