Carter is a distinctive choice, ranked #4844 in 2024. Your child is likely to be the only Carter in their class.
💎
UK Rank 2024
#4844
US Rank #507
About the Name Carter
Carter has seen a notable decline in recent years, dropping 1727 places in five years. It was most popular in 2021 at #69 — parents choosing it today are making a deliberately counter-trend decision. The name has been a consistent presence in UK records since 1996. It has broken into the UK top 100 on 3 occasions, signalling genuine mainstream interest.
Carter is distinctive enough that your child will likely be the only one in both their class and their school — standing out on every register.
In the US it ranks even higher at #507, where it enjoys a particularly strong following.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about the name Carter
Unlikely. With around 4 UK babies named Carter per year, your child will almost certainly be the only Carter in his class, and possibly the only one in the whole school.
Carter has been declining in UK popularity, dropping 1727 places in the last five years. Its peak was #69 in 2021. Choosing it now means he is likely to be among the last of his generation with this name.
Carter is more popular in the US (#507) than in the UK (#4844). Names with strong rankings in both countries tend to have broad cross-cultural appeal, working well for international families or those with ties to both nations.
Notable people named Carter include: Cris Carter — Graduel Christopher Darwin Carter is an American former professional football wide receiver who played in the National Football League (NFL) for the...; Mel Carter — Mel Carter is an American soul and pop singer and actor.; Carter Reum — Carter Milliken Reum is an American author, entrepreneur, and venture capitalist..
Carter ranks #45 in the US (2024), making it comfortably inside the American top 100. It's well-liked on both sides of the Atlantic.
4
UK babies named Carter (2024)
< 1
Expected classmates with this name (class of 28)
< 1
In a school of 600
↓ 1727 places
Rank change (last 5 years)
🏫 Who else is in the room?
In a typical UK class of 28, highlighted children share the name Carter
Likely around 1 other Carter in the class
UK Popularity (1996–2024)
Rank and birth count · ONS official data
US Popularity (2020–2024)
Rank · SSA official data
✨ Similar names to Carter
Names with a similar style — each with their own classroom story
Graduel Christopher Darwin Carter is an American former professional football wide receiver who played in the National Football League (NFL) for the Philadelphia Eagles, the Minnesota Vikings and the Miami Dolphins. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wide receivers of all time.
Joseph Dougherty "Joe" Carter was a member of the Carter Family, an American country/folk music group. Carter was born in 1927 in Maces Spring, Virginia, several months before the Bristol Sessions, which eventually made his family famous.
Ashton Baldwin Carter was an American government official and academic who served as the 25th United States secretary of defense from February 2015 to January 2017. He later served as director of the Belfer Center for Science & International Affairs at Harvard Kennedy School.
"Mother" Maybelle Carter was an American country musician and "among the first" to use the Carter scratch, with which she "helped to turn the guitar into a lead instrument." It was named after her. She was a member of the original Carter Family act from the late 1920s until the early 1940s and a member of the Carter Sisters and Mother Maybelle group.