Carter
2025 SSA
2025 SSA
About Carter
Carter has ranked in the Top 100 since the the turn of the millennium, but despite its recent popularity, it's not a trendy new name. In fact, Carter is one of those names that just misses ranking in the US Top 1000 for its entire 140+ year history.
Carter for boys#45 US
Carter's off its recent popularity peak now, but it's getting some fresh style via Beyonce's country album Cowboy Carter, which references the surname of her husband Jay-Z aka Shawn Carter.
Having hot characters named Carter on both Gossip Girl and The OC probably didn't hurt Carter's rise, along with Noah Wyle's Dr. John Carter on ER, who was always called by his last name. Carter also, of course, has presidential cred.
Carter is especially popular in the Midwest, having recently been Number 2 in Nebraska and Number 3 in Iowa, as well as spreading north to Canadian provinces Saskatchewan (recently Number 2) and Manitoba (recently Number 5). It does straddle the line between country and city, another reason for its longtime appeal.
Carter for girls#454 US
One of the surname names for boys on its way to becoming unisex, this name broke into the Top 1000 for the first time in 2013 for girls. While it sounds masculine to us, because of its two-syllable er-ending sound so trendy with boys’ names, many parents apparently disagree.
Pronounced KAR-ter.
As of October 2026, Carter ranked #45 in US births in 2025 SSA, peaked at #24 in 2018, Nameberry popularity #278.
Popularity & trends
Data table
| Year | US rank · boys | Births · boys | US rank · girls | Births · girls |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | #27 | 10,690 | #790 | 355 |
| 2015 | #24 | 10,814 | #538 | 581 |
| 2016 | #26 | 10,218 | #458 | 702 |
| 2017 | #24 | 9,831 | #520 | 602 |
| 2018 | #24 | 9,382 | #478 | 655 |
| 2019 | #30 | 8,682 | #514 | 611 |
| 2020 | #33 | 7,575 | #514 | 587 |
| 2021 | #39 | 7,202 | #500 | 622 |
| 2022 | #47 | 6,356 | #550 | 553 |
| 2023 | #48 | 5,870 | #510 | 594 |
| 2024 | #45 | 6,267 | #507 | 604 |
| 2025 | #45 | 6,024 | #454 | 679 |
World rankings
Carter for boys
Carter for girls
Similar names
These 40 names were selected by our users looking for other names like Carter.
Similar boy names
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Carter on lists
Famous Carters
- Carter Loard BaysBoy
American television showrunner, writer & producer
- Carter Nicholas OosterhouseBoy
American TV personality
- Carter James CamperBoy
American ice hockey player
- Carter Mark JenkinsBoy
American actor
- Carter Benedict BurwellBoy
American film composer
- Carter Henry HarrisonBoy
U.S. Congressman from Illinois
- Carter DeHaven (born Francis O'Callaghan)Boy
American actor
- Carter Tate BarronBoy
American football player and film executive
- Carter Godwin WoodsonBoy
American historian and author
- Carter L. BaysBoy
American writer and producer
- Carter BeaufordBoy
American drummer for the Dave Matthews Band
- Carter ChassonBoy
American model
- John Carter CashBoy
American singer,songwriter; son of Johnny and June Carter Cash
- Carter Vanderbilt CooperBoy
late brother of TV journalist Anderson Cooper
- Carter William Thicke (b. 1999)Boy
son of actor Alan Thicke and Miss World Gina Tolleson; half,brother of singer Robin Thicke
- Carter Sabathia (b. 2010)Boy
son of baseball player CC Sabathia
- Carter Scott McMurray (b. 2010)Boy
son of NASCAR driver Jamie McMurray
- Carter Quick (b. 2013)Boy
son of ice hockey player Jonathan Quick
- Carter Seven Seabrook (b. 2013)Boy
son of ice hockey player Brent Seabrook
- Carter Bridge (b. 2015)Boy
son of singer Frankie Sandford and footballer Wayne Bridge
- Carter John Bruce (b. 2016)Boy
son of baseball player Jay Bruce
- Jimmy CarterBoy
39th US President
- Jim CarterBoy
English actor
- Carter Stone Strauss (b. 2016)Boy
son of American pro wrestler Robbie E
- Carter William DeFranco (b. 2017)Boy
son of American news reporter and YouTube personality Philip DeFranco
- Carter HartBoy
Canadian NHL goaltender for the Philadelphia Flyers
- June Carter CashGirl
American musician and wife of Johnny Cash
Carter in pop culture
- Carter HughesBoy
character in 2018 film Benji
- Carter HeywoodBoy
main character on TV's "Spin City"
- Carter KaneBoy
character in Rick Riordan's "The Kane Chronicles"
- Carter PewterschmidtBoy
character on TV's "Family Guy"
- Carter TibbitsBoy
character on TV's "8 Simple Rules"
- Dr John CarterBoy
character on TV's "ER"
- Carter RutherfordBoy
character in the movie "Leatherheads"
- Carter Hall aka HawkmanBoy
character in "Arrow," "The Flash," and "Legends of Tomorrow"
- Carter BowenBoy
character on TV's "Arrow"
- Carter BowenBoy
character on TV's "American Gothic"
- Carter BaizenBoy
character on TV's "Gossip Girl"
- Carter J. BurkeBoy
character in "Alien" series
- Carter'sBoy
baby clothing brand
- Carter BoydBoy
character on Canadian sitcom "18 to Life"
- CarterBoy
character on TV's "Robin Hood"
- CarterBoy
character on TV's "The Walking Dead"
- Carter GraysonBoy
Red Ranger on TV's "Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue"
- "John CarterBoy
" book series and film
- CarterBoy
character in Robert Cormier's "The Chocolate War"
- CarterBoy
character introduced in Season 9 of The Original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles animated series which ran from 1987,1996
- Carter MasonBoy
main character in movie "Princess Protection Program"
- Carter MasonGirl
a main character in Disney Channel movie "Princess Protection Program"
- Carter StevensGirl
character on TV's Finding Carter"
- Peggy CarterGirl
character in Marvel comics and TV's "Agent Carter"
- Samantha CarterGirl
character on TV shows Stargate SG,1 and Stargate Atlantis
- Sharon CarterGirl
from TV series "Two Guys, A Girl, And A Pizza Place"
- Carter PriceGirl
character from "The Reappearance of Rachel Price" by Holly Jackson
Variations & nicknames
- CartierBoy