Meaning not yet researched.
Carter: US boys given the name each year, 1880 to 2025, from Social Security card applications. 6,024 in 2025. Its best rank was #24 in 2018.
US births per year · SSA card applications
Peaked at #24 in 2018; #45 in 2025. About 90% of babies named Carter in 2025 were boys.
Baby name · US data 1880–2025
#45 for US boys in 2025. Its best year was 2018, at #24.
Hover, tap or use the arrow keys for any year. Years with fewer than five babies of a sex are not published by SSA and show as zero.
Carter: US boys and girls given the name each year from 1880 to 2025. 6,024 boys in 2025. Peak: #24 in 2018 · most boys in one year: 10,814 (2015).
In 2025, 6,024 US boys were named Carter, making it the 45th most common boys’ name of the year, up 1 place from #46 in 2024. That is 265 fewer than the 6,289 boys named Carter in 2024. Its best rank for boys was #24, reached in 2018. The most boys given the name in a single year was 10,814, in 2015. For comparison, it was #24 in 2015 and #515 in 1950.
In 2025, 679 US girls were named Carter, making it the 454th most common girls’ name of the year, up 54 places from #508 in 2024. That is 74 more than the 605 girls named Carter in 2024. Its best rank for girls was #454, reached in this year, 2025. The most girls given the name in a single year was 703, in 2016. For comparison, it was #539 in 2015 and #4,373 in 1950.
Social Security card records list Carter in 144 years of the 146 from 1880 to 2025, starting in 1881 with 12 babies. In all, 216,871 US babies have been given the name, 4.6% of them girls and 95% boys. Its busiest decade was the 2010s, with 99,669 babies named Carter.
Over the 10 years from 2016 to 2025, 77,454 US boys were named Carter; the busiest of those years was 2016, with 10,220. In 2025 that was about 1 in 284 of the boys in SSA’s list for the year.
Among the states, Carter ranked highest in Wyoming in 2025, at #7 for boys there. It was in the top 100 in 50 states (counting DC). Related spellings in the SSA files include Karter (34,052 babies since 1880), Cartier (2,785 babies since 1880) and Kartier (1,910 babies since 1880). Rarer spellings such as Kartyr, Kartar and Cartyr are summarised on this page.
Meaning not yet researched.
We publish a meaning only with a cited source and a confidence label, and never generate one. Meanings are being researched for the most common names first.
Wikidata records this spelling as a given name in English. That is where the name is used, not necessarily where it comes from.
Rare spellings summarised here: Kartyr (36), Kartar (32), Cartyr (10).
Numbers are all-time US births. Links come from Wikidata’s “said to be the same as” (P460, CC0) and our spelling rule: at most two letters different, with the same sound pattern.
No nicknames listed for Carter in the open dataset we use.
Source: carltonnorthern/nicknames (Apache-2.0).
US boys. Rank within each state. SSA leaves out states where fewer than five boys got the name, so every state is listed.
| State | Births 2025 | Rank 2025 | Rank 2015 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wyoming | 16 | #7 | #10 |
| West Virginia | 52 | #15 | #15 |
| Delaware | 27 | #16 | #16 |
| New Hampshire | 47 | #16 | #12 |
| Arkansas | 80 | #18 | #9 |
| Kentucky | 128 | #21 | #14 |
| Idaho | 55 | #22 | #12 |
| South Carolina | 118 | #23 | #10 |
| Kansas | 81 | #23 | #11 |
| Alabama | 117 | #23 | #8 |
| Ohio | 285 | #24 | #4 |
| Georgia | 231 | #25 | #9 |
| Louisiana | 96 | #25 | #6 |
| Alaska | 18 | #27 | #19 |
| North Carolina | 252 | #28 | #9 |
| Tennessee | 177 | #29 | #11 |
| Pennsylvania | 271 | #31 | #8 |
| Indiana | 145 | #31 | #8 |
| Oklahoma | 89 | #31 | #20 |
| Michigan | 195 | #32 | #3 |
| North Dakota | 22 | #32 | #3 |
| Mississippi | 54 | #32 | #8 |
| Virginia | 180 | #33 | #34 |
| Vermont | 11 | #33 | #6 |
| Wisconsin | 113 | #36 | #14 |
| Missouri | 137 | #37 | #9 |
| Maine | 27 | #38 | #14 |
| Connecticut | 72 | #39 | #32 |
| Nebraska | 44 | #39 | #7 |
| South Dakota | 22 | #42 | #26 |
| Oregon | 71 | #42 | #25 |
| Colorado | 117 | #42 | #37 |
| Montana | 23 | #43 | #6 |
| Illinois | 204 | #43 | #23 |
| Maryland | 107 | #43 | #26 |
| Iowa | 62 | #44 | #13 |
| Florida | 370 | #49 | #28 |
| Massachusetts | 108 | #52 | #44 |
| Washington | 125 | #53 | #26 |
| New Mexico | 29 | #54 | #60 |
| District of Columbia | 14 | #55 | #48 |
| Minnesota | 91 | #57 | #23 |
| New York | 292 | #57 | #36 |
| Rhode Island | 16 | #61 | #60 |
| Nevada | 44 | #65 | #41 |
| New Jersey | 133 | #65 | #35 |
| Hawaii | 12 | #70 | #51 |
| Arizona | 103 | #72 | #45 |
| Utah | 62 | #75 | #19 |
| Texas | 480 | #80 | #58 |
| California | 399 | #102 | #78 |
Births and national rank for each year SSA lists the name, newest first.
| Year | Girls | Girls rank | Boys | Boys rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 679 | #454 | 6,024 | #45 |
| 2024 | 605 | #508 | 6,289 | #46 |
| 2023 | 594 | #510 | 5,878 | #48 |
| 2022 | 553 | #550 | 6,361 | #47 |
| 2021 | 622 | #501 | 7,205 | #39 |
| 2020 | 587 | #515 | 7,577 | #33 |
| 2019 | 611 | #514 | 8,682 | #30 |
| 2018 | 655 | #479 | 9,385 | #24 |
| 2017 | 602 | #520 | 9,833 | #24 |
| 2016 | 703 | #457 | 10,220 | #26 |
| 2015 | 581 | #539 | 10,814 | #24 |
| 2014 | 355 | #790 | 10,691 | #27 |
| 2013 | 300 | #861 | 9,590 | #33 |
| 2012 | 246 | #1,031 | 9,274 | #36 |
| 2011 | 195 | #1,229 | 8,608 | #41 |
| 2010 | 160 | #1,432 | 8,164 | #48 |
| 2009 | 119 | #1,811 | 8,173 | #50 |
| 2008 | 104 | #2,009 | 7,069 | #65 |
| 2007 | 102 | #2,004 | 6,101 | #80 |
| 2006 | 123 | #1,703 | 6,433 | #75 |
| 2005 | 120 | #1,657 | 5,899 | #77 |
| 2004 | 114 | #1,701 | 5,009 | #89 |
| 2003 | 101 | #1,833 | 4,171 | #102 |
| 2002 | 66 | #2,421 | 3,480 | #108 |
| 2001 | 80 | #2,077 | 3,435 | #111 |
| 2000 | 91 | #1,872 | 2,550 | #152 |
| 1999 | 83 | #1,897 | 1,944 | #179 |
| 1998 | 63 | #2,252 | 1,800 | #189 |
| 1997 | 61 | #2,234 | 1,540 | #204 |
| 1996 | 66 | #2,089 | 1,216 | #243 |
| 1995 | 59 | #2,252 | 919 | #286 |
| 1994 | 44 | #2,759 | 544 | #421 |
| 1993 | 44 | #2,730 | 550 | #419 |
| 1992 | 30 | #3,596 | 487 | #450 |
| 1991 | 41 | #2,849 | 391 | #498 |
| 1990 | 32 | #3,375 | 334 | #549 |
| 1989 | 22 | #4,265 | 294 | #565 |
| 1988 | 15 | #5,365 | 265 | #569 |
| 1987 | 27 | #3,350 | 213 | #625 |
| 1986 | 21 | #3,904 | 182 | #665 |
| 1985 | 24 | #3,528 | 175 | #670 |
| 1984 | 15 | #4,768 | 137 | #744 |
| 1983 | 9 | #6,784 | 116 | #811 |
| 1982 | 12 | #5,586 | 119 | #810 |
| 1981 | 11 | #5,934 | 86 | #972 |
| 1980 | 8 | #7,519 | 93 | #924 |
| 1979 | — | — | 64 | #1,118 |
| 1978 | 9 | #6,459 | 71 | #1,034 |
| 1977 | 11 | #5,567 | 121 | #773 |
| 1976 | 14 | #4,387 | 158 | #651 |
| 1975 | 10 | #5,584 | 162 | #637 |
| 1974 | 14 | #4,256 | 142 | #686 |
| 1973 | 11 | #4,918 | 131 | #700 |
| 1972 | 9 | #5,532 | 163 | #617 |
| 1971 | 11 | #4,842 | 191 | #600 |
| 1970 | 9 | #5,455 | 156 | #655 |
| 1969 | 8 | #5,510 | 150 | #646 |
| 1968 | 6 | #6,345 | 124 | #675 |
| 1967 | — | — | 140 | #634 |
| 1966 | — | — | 127 | #656 |
| 1965 | 8 | #4,882 | 113 | #698 |
| 1964 | — | — | 132 | #669 |
| 1963 | 7 | #5,365 | 158 | #621 |
| 1962 | 10 | #4,304 | 130 | #680 |
| 1961 | 6 | #5,927 | 132 | #674 |
| 1960 | — | — | 139 | #665 |
| 1959 | 7 | #5,096 | 132 | #666 |
| 1958 | 5 | #6,218 | 166 | #601 |
| 1957 | 5 | #6,190 | 139 | #652 |
| 1956 | 7 | #4,887 | 176 | #574 |
| 1955 | 9 | #4,113 | 149 | #607 |
| 1954 | — | — | 191 | #528 |
| 1953 | 8 | #4,281 | 161 | #557 |
| 1952 | 8 | #4,176 | 156 | #559 |
| 1951 | 8 | #4,067 | 172 | #522 |
| 1950 | 7 | #4,373 | 170 | #515 |
| 1949 | 6 | #4,747 | 178 | #495 |
| 1948 | 9 | #3,629 | 150 | #543 |
| 1947 | — | — | 178 | #502 |
| 1946 | — | — | 149 | #524 |
| 1945 | — | — | 124 | #537 |
| 1944 | 5 | #4,658 | 122 | #548 |
| 1943 | 5 | #4,784 | 130 | #553 |
| 1942 | — | — | 112 | #588 |
| 1941 | 7 | #3,622 | 109 | #569 |
| 1940 | 6 | #3,930 | 88 | #635 |
| 1939 | 6 | #3,821 | 77 | #675 |
| 1938 | — | — | 106 | #568 |
| 1937 | — | — | 99 | #580 |
| 1936 | — | — | 98 | #582 |
| 1935 | — | — | 101 | #576 |
| 1934 | — | — | 97 | #597 |
| 1933 | — | — | 77 | #670 |
| 1932 | — | — | 68 | #766 |
| 1931 | 7 | #3,539 | 78 | #678 |
| 1930 | — | — | 62 | #824 |
| 1929 | — | — | 71 | #754 |
| 1928 | — | — | 78 | #724 |
| 1927 | 9 | #3,323 | 85 | #702 |
| 1926 | — | — | 89 | #671 |
| 1925 | 6 | #4,516 | 89 | #679 |
| 1924 | — | — | 112 | #604 |
| 1923 | — | — | 83 | #712 |
| 1922 | — | — | 93 | #666 |
| 1921 | — | — | 83 | #723 |
| 1920 | 5 | #5,097 | 98 | #636 |
| 1919 | — | — | 107 | #580 |
| 1918 | 5 | #4,930 | 95 | #628 |
| 1917 | — | — | 91 | #620 |
| 1916 | — | — | 83 | #641 |
| 1915 | — | — | 78 | #658 |
| 1914 | — | — | 92 | #509 |
| 1913 | — | — | 37 | #780 |
| 1912 | — | — | 45 | #612 |
| 1911 | — | — | 26 | #597 |
| 1910 | — | — | 26 | #557 |
| 1909 | — | — | 22 | #559 |
| 1908 | — | — | 25 | #500 |
| 1907 | — | — | 18 | #595 |
| 1906 | — | — | 15 | #620 |
| 1905 | — | — | 16 | #595 |
| 1904 | — | — | 25 | #418 |
| 1903 | — | — | 23 | #415 |
| 1902 | — | — | 11 | #696 |
| 1901 | — | — | 13 | #569 |
| 1900 | — | — | 31 | #403 |
| 1899 | — | — | 14 | #524 |
| 1898 | — | — | 14 | #580 |
| 1897 | — | — | 16 | #501 |
| 1896 | — | — | 13 | #602 |
| 1895 | — | — | 9 | #746 |
| 1894 | — | — | 16 | #504 |
| 1893 | — | — | 13 | #545 |
| 1892 | — | — | 18 | #464 |
| 1891 | — | — | 13 | #500 |
| 1890 | — | — | 8 | #757 |
| 1889 | — | — | 11 | #591 |
| 1888 | — | — | 15 | #507 |
| 1887 | — | — | 13 | #495 |
| 1886 | — | — | 15 | #474 |
| 1885 | — | — | 10 | #613 |
| 1884 | — | — | 13 | #526 |
| 1883 | — | — | 11 | #561 |
| 1881 | — | — | 12 | #506 |
About the data: counts are Social Security card applications for US births, for names given to at least five babies of a sex in a year (SSA, names.zip, public domain). Ranks follow SSA’s own order: most births first, ties alphabetical. Files retrieved 2026-10-05 (checksum on our sources page).