How Many People Are Named Carroll?

An estimated 15,114 people in the United States have the first name Carroll. It is used for both genders, with 85.7% male. The average bearer is 71 years old, and Carroll peaked in popularity in 1943 with 1,033 births that year.

Below you will find a full statistical profile of Carroll as a first name in the United States, including gender data, a year-by-year popularity timeline going back to 1880, a decade breakdown, state-by-state birth registrations, and, when available, a 2020 Census snapshot showing who had the name at that point in time. You can also check how many people share the full name Carroll paired with any surname.

Key Insights

  • With an average bearer age of 71, Carroll is a vintage name most associated with earlier generations. Most living bearers were born before 1965.

Estimated Living Americans

15,114

About 1 in 22,678 people in the U.S.

Rarity

Uncommon

Very Rare Very Common

Predicted Gender

Male

85.7% confidence

Average Age

71

years old

Peak Year

1943

1,033 births

Total Registered

41,347

since 1880

Gender Distribution for Carroll

Carroll is predominantly male (85.7%), though 5,916 female births have been registered. It functions as a unisex name for a small percentage of bearers.

Male 35,431 (85.7%)
Female 5,916 (14.3%)

Carroll as a male name

Ranked #9,050 in 2023

8 male births in 2023

Peak: 1934 (874 births)

Carroll as a female name

Ranked #15,761 in 2022

5 female births in 2022

Peak: 1943 (208 births)

Carroll in the 2020 Census

The 2020 Census recorded 16,718 people with the first name Carroll, which placed it at #1,787 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name in 2020. The estimated living count elsewhere on this page is different: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two figures are not expected to match exactly.

Read this section as a snapshot of people who already had the name in 2020. The SSA charts elsewhere on this page are still the better way to see how the name rose, fell, or shifted across generations.

Gender in the 2020 Census

In the 2020 Census, Carroll was recorded as predominantly male. Out of 16,718 people with this name in that snapshot, 77.6% were male and 22.4% were female. That is less heavily male than the long-run SSA birth pattern on this page, which sits at 85.7% male.

Census Count

16,718

people with this name

Census Rank

#1,787

among Census first names

Frequency Rate

5.54

per 100,000 people

Male 12,977 (77.6%)
Female 3,741 (22.4%)

Recorded Race and Hispanic Origin in the 2020 Census

In the 2020 Census, the first name Carroll was most commonly recorded among people who identified as White (85.42%). The next largest recorded groups were Black (10.17%) and Two or More Races (2.28%).

These percentages describe the people who had the first name Carroll in the 2020 Census. They do not tell you the deeper meaning or origin of the name itself.

White
85.42%
Black
10.17%
Hispanic
1.12%
Asian/Pacific Islander
0.42%
American Indian/Alaska Native
0.59%
Two or More Races
2.28%

2020 Census demographic breakdown

Each row shows a recorded Census category for people with the first name Carroll.

Group Share Count
White 85.42% 14,277
Black 10.17% 1,699
Two or More Races 2.28% 381
Hispanic 1.12% 188
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.59% 98
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.42% 70

The Census published separate sex and race/origin tables for first names, so their total counts can differ slightly for the same name. That is why the race section focuses on the demographic mix rather than repeating a second headline count.

Carroll: Popularity Over Time

SSA records for Carroll span from the 1880s to the 2020s, covering 15 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 1930s, when 9,117 babies were registered. Carroll has declined significantly from its peak in the 1930s. Recent registrations are a fraction of what they were at the name's height.

Male
Female
0 207 413 620 826 1K 1880 1900 1920 1940 1960 1980 2000 2020

Carroll by Decade

How has Carroll tracked across different eras? The table below groups all SSA birth registrations into 10-year periods, with separate male and female counts. The colored bar shows each decade's share relative to the peak.

Decade Total Male Female
1880s 290 290 0
1890s 511 494 17
1900s 715 667 48
1910s 4,126 3,786 340
1920s 7,362 6,759 603
1930s 9,117 7,963 1,154
1940s 8,800 7,086 1,714
1950s 5,122 4,170 952
1960s 2,681 2,110 571
1970s 1,303 1,042 261
1980s 719 582 137
1990s 357 259 98
2000s 123 113 10
2010s 97 91 6
2020s 24 19 5

Carroll by State

Birth registrations for Carroll span all 47 states and territories in the SSA database. The highest counts are in Texas, Virginia, Maryland. The lowest are in Wyoming, Utah, Delaware. On average, about 708 Carrolls were registered per state.

Carroll + Last Name Combinations

How many people share a full name with Carroll as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.

Carroll: Questions and Answers

How many people in the U.S. are named Carroll?

We estimate approximately 15,114 people named Carroll are alive in the United States today. This is based on SSA birth records from 1880 to 2024, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables. About 1 in 22,678 Americans share this first name.

Is Carroll a common name?

Carroll is classified as "Uncommon" and is more popular than 98.2% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 41,347 births have been registered with this name since 1880.

When was Carroll most popular?

Carroll reached peak popularity in 1943, when 1,033 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Carroll is approximately 71 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.

How common was Carroll in the 2020 Census?

The 2020 Census recorded 16,718 people with the first name Carroll. That placed it at #1,787 in the published Census first-name tables, or 5.54 people per 100,000.

Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?

Because they measure different things. The Census number is a count of people with the name in 2020. The living estimate is a current model based on SSA birth records and survival rates, so it aims to estimate how many people with the name are alive now.

What does the SSA popularity chart show?

The popularity chart tracks birth registrations, not people currently alive. It shows how often Carroll was given to babies from 1880 through 2024, which is why it is the best tool on the page for seeing long-run naming trends.

What does the Census say about the gender split for Carroll?

In the 2020 Census snapshot, Carroll was recorded as predominantly male. The published split was 77.6% male and 22.4% female.

What does the Census say about the background of people named Carroll?

In the 2020 Census, the first name Carroll was most commonly recorded among people who identified as White (85.42%). The next largest recorded groups were Black (10.17%) and Two or More Races (2.28%). These percentages describe the people who had the name in the 2020 Census, not the deeper meaning or origin of the name itself.

Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?

The Census published separate first-name tables for sex and for race and Hispanic origin. Those totals can differ slightly for the same name, so the page uses them as two related snapshots rather than treating them as perfectly interchangeable counts.

Does every first name have Census demographic data?

No. The public Census first-name tables only include names that met the Bureau's publication rules. That means some names on this site will have SSA history but no published Census demographic snapshot.

Is Carroll a male name?

Carroll is predominantly male. 85.7% of people with this name are male. See the gender breakdown above for full details.

Why can Carroll have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?

Because a name can build up a large population over many decades. Carroll peaked in 1943, and the average living bearer is about 71 years old, so a name can still have millions of living bearers even after it stops feeling current for newborns.

How many Carroll Smiths are there?

To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Carroll Smith, Carroll Johnson, Carroll Williams. You can also search any combination on our homepage.

Where does this data come from?

Our estimates use Social Security Administration birth records (1880 to 2024), adjusted for survival using CDC 2023 life tables broken down by sex. The U.S. population figure (342,754,338) is from the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimate. Full methodology.

Search for a full name combination