The Carpenter surname
In the 2010 U.S. Census, 129,898 people carried this name — #231 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 2,270 people counted. That is up 2% from 127,073 in 2000.
What the name means
The meaning of the Carpenter surname
A surname originating as an occupation derived from the trade name carpenter.
From carpenter, from Latin carpentarius.
From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Carpenter» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.
In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890
Ireland registered 10 births for the Carpenter name in 1890.
Most were registered in Leinster. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 400 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time. The Registrar-General’s note on the name: “Dublin.”
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they were born, 1890
Registrar-General for Ireland, «Special Report on Surnames in Ireland» (R. E. Matheson, 1894), births index of 1890 — public domain.
In France’s civil register
France’s register of deaths holds 31 people named Carpenter.
15 of them were born outside France. Those born in France came from 3 départements, most often Guadeloupe.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they were born
Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.
In Argentina’s national register
At least 25 people named Carpenter live in Argentina.
RENAPER only publishes a name in a province when more than ten people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Buenos Aires Province.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they live today
RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.
In Switzerland’s population statistics
24 people named Carpenter live in Switzerland.
They live in 3 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Vaud.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they live today
Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), «Surnames of the permanent resident population by canton», 2025, opendata.swiss/en/dataset/nachnamen-der-standigen-wohnbevolkerung-nach-kanton3 · names with fewer than 3 bearers in a canton are not published.
In the Nordic population registers
71 people named Carpenter is counted in Sweden.
Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published.
Counted, by country
Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown).
Among the farmers of England and Wales, 1880s
Carpenter was found among the farmers of 6 counties.
It was most frequent in Oxfordshire: 30 in every 10,000 farmers there — about 1 in 333. Guppy counted the farmers listed in each county’s directory and recorded a name only where it reached about 7 in every 10,000; where it does not appear, it was rarer than that, not absent.
Where it concentrates, on the mapPer 10,000 farmers, by county
H. B. Guppy, «Homes of Family Names in Great Britain» (London, 1890), alphabetical list of English and Welsh names — public domain · farmers in Kelly’s Post Office Directories of the 1880s, per 10,000 farmers in each county.
In Scotland’s registers today
Carpenter was recorded 13 times in Scotland’s registers of births, marriages and deaths in 2025.
That made it the 1564th most common name in those registers, shared with others on the same count. In 1975, the first year of the series, the count was 13. Each birth counts the child’s surname, each marriage both partners’ and each death the surname of the person who died — a yearly count of registrations, not of the people who live in Scotland.
National Records of Scotland, «Most Common Surnames, 2025» (published 26 May 2026): every surname recorded 10 or more times in the 2025 registers, and the series from 1975 · different spellings are counted separately — © Crown copyright 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
In the first U.S. census, 1790
544 families named Carpenter, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.
Each family is counted by its head. About 3,361 people lived in those households, 6.2 to a family on average. The table counts it together with 4 other spellings. The table lists white heads of families only, in the twelve states whose 1790 records survive; Virginia’s figures come from state lists of 1782–1785.
Families, by state
U.S. Census Bureau, «A Century of Population Growth from the First Census of the United States to the Twelfth, 1790–1900» (Washington, 1909), table 111, p. 233 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.
In print
Carpenter in American newspapers,
1875–1910.
Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain.
In print
Carpenter in Australian newspapers,
1820s–2000s.
66,326 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Carpenter. The most, 8,964, date from the 1910s. New South Wales has the most articles, but weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, the name stands out most in Western Australia, at 1.4 times its expected share.
Articles, by state
Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Carpenter.
Who carried it
People named Carpenter,
with a public archive behind them.
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John Carpenter 1372–1442 · politician -
George Carpenter, 1st Baron Carpenter 1657–1731 · military personnel -
George Carpenter, 2nd Baron Carpenter 1695–1749 · politician -
George Carpenter, 1st Earl of Tyrconnell 1723–1762 · politician -
Lant Carpenter 1780–1840 · Christian minister
Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped — George Carpenter, 2nd Baron Carpenter: Marek69, CC BY-SA 3.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0); the others are in the public domain or CC0 · 174 lives in all are documented under this name.
In the public record
People named Carpenter,
in the records of 7 countries.
Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.
United States10,734 records
- U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 4,463
- New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 2,148
- Other U.S. records 4,123
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Example: U.S. war memorial War record Charles Edward CarpenterBorn 1948; from Savannah, Georgia. U.S. Marine Corps, machinegunner; killed in action 1969 in Quang Nam, South Vietnam. Buried at Beaufort National Cemetery, South Carolina.
U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) -
Example: U.S. registration card, 1942 Military record Swin C. CarpenterBorn 1915 in Oklahoma. Enlisted 1942 at Portland, Oregon; carpenter. U.S. Army Air Forces veteran of World War II; died 1999, buried at Crystal Lake Cemetery, Corvallis, Oregon.
U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) -
Example: passenger manifest, 1903 Passenger record Giovanni CarpenterArrived at New York in 1912 aboard the Chicago from Havre, aged 36; peasant. From Sicignano, Salerno, Italy; bound for Newark.
U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)
Showing 3 of 10,734 records for Carpenter in the United States.
Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · City of Asheville (public domain, PDDL) · New York State, Open NY (police and firefighter memorial rolls). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).
Australia1,810 records
- Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 777
- Tasmanian Names Index 434
- Other Australian records 599
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Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829 Transportation record William CarpenterTransported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Enchantress, sailing from Portsmouth in 1833. Native of Hackney, Middlesex. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1839. Married 1839 in Launceston, Tasmania, aged 31.
Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) -
Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829 Transportation record James CarpenterTransported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Earl Grey, sailing from Plymouth in 1842. Native of Gloucestershire. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1847. Married 1847 in Launceston, Tasmania, aged 29.
Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) -
Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829 Transportation record Ralph CarpenterTransported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Aboukir, sailing from London in 1851. Native of Kemble, Wiltshire. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1852. Married 1852 in Hamilton, Tasmania, aged 23.
Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
Showing 3 of 1,810 records for Carpenter in Australia.
Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0) · ACT Government, Transport Canberra and City Services (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain).
Canada242 records
- Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 117
- Canadian Virtual War Memorial 31
- Other Canadian records 94
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Example: Canadian cemetery Burial record Jane Colmer CarpenterKilled in the Halifax Explosion of 1917, aged 39; buried at Mount Olivet Cemetery, Halifax.
Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. -
Example: Canadian cemetery Burial record Warren Robert CarpenterDied 1980, aged 19; buried at Transcona Cemetery, Winnipeg, Manitoba.
City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. -
Example: Canadian cemetery Burial record Joseph Benjamin CarpenterBuried in 1977 at Queen's Park Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 82.
City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.
Showing 3 of 242 records for Carpenter in Canada.
Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · City of Niagara Falls. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Niagara Falls. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0).
United Kingdom113 records
- War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 70
- St James's burial ground, Euston (London), 1789–1853 33
- Other British records 10
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Example: burial register, 1858 Burial record Mary CarpenterDied 1925, aged 80; buried at Logie Cemetery, Stirling, Scotland.
Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. -
Example: burial register, 1858 Burial record James Benjamin CarpenterBuried in 1813 at St James's burial ground, Euston, London, aged 43.
MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. -
Example: probate petition, 1848 Probate record Julia CarpenterWill proved in 1928; of Morriston, Glamorgan.
National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0)
Showing 3 of 113 records for Carpenter in the United Kingdom.
Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0) · Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain).
New Zealand47 records
- Christchurch City cemetery records 31
- Marlborough District cemetery records 6
- Other New Zealand records 10
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Example: burial register, 1858 Burial record Anastasia CarpenterDied 1929, aged 61; buried at Bromley Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.
Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) -
Example: burial register, 1858 Burial record Kathleen Sarah CarpenterDied 1998, aged 87; buried at Totara Memorial Park Cemetery, Thames-Coromandel District, Waikato.
Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0) -
Example: burial register, 1858 Burial record Hilda May CarpenterDied 1995, aged 86; buried at Omaka Cemetery, Marlborough.
Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0)
Showing 3 of 47 records for Carpenter in New Zealand.
Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0) · Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0) · Waimakariri District Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).
Netherlands20 records
- Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 9
- Dutch church registers before 1811 8
- Dutch population registers 3
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Example: civil register, 1880 Death record Mary CarpenterDied 1930 in 's-Gravenhage, aged 41.
Open Archives, Haags Gemeentearchief (CC BY 4.0) -
Example: civil register, 1880 Death record Wilhelmina Renette Philippina CarpenterDied 1818 in Breda, aged 82.
Open Archives, Regionaal Historisch Centrum Limburg (CC BY 4.0)
Showing 2 of 20 records for Carpenter in the Netherlands.
Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).
France8 records
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Example: French death register, 1930 Death record Victor Leonard CarpenterBorn 1920 in Khartoum (Soudan); died 2001 in Maisons-Laffitte (Yvelines).
Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte) -
Example: French death register, 1930 Death record Phyllis Margaret Emily CarpenterBorn 1913 in Great Britain; died 1999 in Callian (Var).
Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
Showing 2 of 8 records for Carpenter in France.
Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).
Nearby in the index
Surnames next to Carpenter.
- Carolus 656 · U.S. census
- Caron 12,810 · U.S. census
- Carotenuto 408 · U.S. census
- Carothers 5,480 · U.S. census
- Carpe 165 · U.S. census
- Carpena 253 · U.S. census
- Carpentier 2,345 · U.S. census
- Carper 6,002 · U.S. census
- Carpin 186 · U.S. census
- Carpio 7,561 · U.S. census
- Carr 119,076 · U.S. census
- Carra 812 · U.S. census
When the index is not enough
This page says where Carpenter is.
A volume says what happened to it.
Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.