Name of the Week: Carter

 

Origin:

As a given name, Carter is an an adoption of an occupational surname, referring to a person who carried or conveyed goods in a cart.  It is generally derived from the Middle English carte, itself derived from the Old Norse kartr and Old English cræt "cart, wagon, chariot." Reaney and Wilson, point out, however, that the etymology is a little more elaborate. One of the first instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Cambridgeshire in 1177: a Fulco carettarius. Carettarius is a Medieval Latin word, derived from carrus "wagon, cartload," itself from the Proto-Celtic *karros ‎“wagon.” Other early surname forms include le caretier, from the Old Norman French, and le Charettier. from the Old French charetier "charioteer" used in England to mean 'a carter'.

Usage:

Like most surnames-turned-first names, we first find Carter in use as a given name in the 18th century, often given because it was the mother's maiden name or in honour of a godparent.  Despite being a common surname (the 58th most popular surname on the 1881 UK census), Carter was quite uncommon as a given name, though it was used quite consistently across the 19th century, averaging 4-5 births per year initially, then declining by the end of the century.  Births in England and Wales: 1840s: 37 births 1850s: 49 births 1860s: 52 births 1870s: 52 births 1880s: 29 births 1890s: 16 births 1900s: 9 births 1910s: 12 births 1920s: 5 births 1930s: 3 births 1940s: 3 births 1950s: 1 birth 1960s: 2 births 1970s: 6 births It was, for the most part, masculine in use, though was occasionally used for girls.  click to enlarge In 1996 in England and Wales, Carter ranked down at #755 with 20 births but had doubled in use the following year in 1997. It gradually rose in rank until it reached #267 (106 births) in 2002.  Within the last forty years, Carter first ranked in Scotland in 1996 with one birth. It too gradually increased in rank, reaching #257 (12 births) in 2006. Some of the rising use in Carter during this period can be attributed to the popular use of other surnames such as Taylor, Tyler, Harrison and Corey. However, some of it may be thanks to Noah Wyle's character Dr John Carter (often called simply "Carter") on the hit US TV show ER. The character appeared in the pilot episode in 1994 and was a regular character up until 2004, after which he appeared occasionally.  In both England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland, Carter has been rising swiftly in the last few years.  Northern Ireland and Wales have been first to the post, already adding Carter to the top 100. It reached first went to #56 in 2006 in Northern Ireland, and #89 in 2012 in Wales.  In 2014, Carter ranked #61 in Wales, #124 in England (#118 combined), #63 in Northern Ireland and #110 in Scotland.  This year has also seen Carter get some celebrity endorsement, when Frankie Bridge gave the name to her second son.

Famous Bearers:

History: * Carter Braxton (1736–1797),  signer of the American Declaration of Independence. * Carter G. Woodson (1875–1950), American historian, author, journalist, founder of Black History Month. * Carter Stanley (1925–1966), American bluegrass musician; one of The Stanley Brothers. Contemporary: * Carter Jenkins (b. 1991), American actor. Literature and Other Media: * Carter Hall, DC Comics super-hero Hawkman. * Get Carter, a 1971 British crime film starring Michael Caine. * John Carter ("Carter"), doctor in the American television series ER. * Carter Horton, a character from the film Final Destination (2000).

Variants:

Karter

Pronunciation:

KAR-tə [key]

Possible Diminutives:

Kit

Sibling Names:

Harper     Darcey     Ariana     Thea     Skyar     Elsa      Jackson     Hunter    Roman     Grayson     Albie     Blake

Name Lists:

Lively Lads   Occupational Surnames

 

If you like Carter you may also like:    Parker, Cooper, Deacon, Dexter, Fletcher, Layton, Archer, Spencer, Sawyer, Reeve

 

Thanks to Joan for requesting this post.