Carter is a well-established choice, ranked #97 in 2025. With 536 babies named Carter in 2025, meeting another Carter at school is a real possibility.
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UK Rank 2025
#97
US Rank #45
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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 a very popular name in the UK — yet a class of 28 is small enough that your child will very likely be the only Carter on the register.
In the US it ranks even higher at #507, where it enjoys a particularly strong following.
⭐ Famous People Named Carter
Cris Carter — 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.
Joseph Dougherty Carter — Joseph Dougherty "Joe" Carter was a member of the Carter Family, an American country/folk music group.
Jimmy Carter — James Earl Carter Jr. was an American politician and humanitarian who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981.
Biographical summaries are shortened from Wikipedia and are used under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence; those summaries remain available under that same licence.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about the name Carter
Possibly. With around 536 UK babies named Carter per year, your child may well come across another Carter at school, though sharing a class is less likely.
Carter has been fairly steady, ranked #97 in 2025 against #64 in 2020. Its best recorded position was #60 in 2018.
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, Mel Carter and Carter Reum. Short summaries for each appear below.
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.
536
UK babies named Carter (2025)
< 1
Expected classmates with this name (class of 28)
< 1
In a school of 600
↓ 33 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
Almost certainly the only Carter in the class
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UK Popularity (1996–2025)
Rank and birth count · ONS official data
US Popularity (2020–2025)
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.
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.
"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.