Carter

As a surname, Carter is documented in English records from at least the 12th century, appearing in medieval guild lists and tax records; it is among the 50 most common surnames in England and Wales.

The surname was carried to North America by English colonists in the 17th century. The Carter family of Virginia became 1 of the most prominent planter dynasties of colonial America, and the name appears in founding-era records throughout the South.

President Jimmy Carter (born 1924) is the most recognized bearer of the surname in American political history, serving as the 39th President of the United States.

As a given name, Carter remained rare through most of the 20th century.

Its rise as a first name accelerated in the 1990s and 2000s alongside the broader trend of using strong Anglo occupational surnames - Mason, Hunter, Tyler, Cooper - as masculine given names.

Carter reached the top 30 in the United States by the mid-2010s.

The television series “ER” featured the character John Carter (played by Noah Wyle, 1994-2009), which sustained the name’s visibility during a critical period of its rise.

The name is now well established in the United States, Canada, and Australia as a given name with a strong, contemporary feel rooted in Anglo-American heritage.