NameCensus.

UK surname

Carr

An occupational surname referring to someone who transports goods by cart or wagon, or who makes carts.

In the 1881 census there were 21,558 people recorded with the Carr surname, ranking it #163 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 32,734, ranked #161, up from #163 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside, London parishes and Gateshead. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include County Durham, Doncaster and Allerdale.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Carr is 33,756 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 51.8%.

1881 census count

21,558

Ranked #163

Modern count

32,734

2016, ranked #161

Peak year

2010

33,756 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Carr had 21,558 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #163 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 32,734 in 2016, ranked #161.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 27,227 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Carr surname distribution map

The map shows where the Carr surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Carr surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Carr over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 13,674 #172
1861 historical 13,739 #179
1881 historical 21,558 #163
1891 historical 22,477 #168
1901 historical 26,249 #169
1911 historical 27,227 #147
1997 modern 31,816 #156
1998 modern 32,917 #157
1999 modern 33,147 #158
2000 modern 32,936 #158
2001 modern 32,182 #157
2002 modern 32,924 #159
2003 modern 31,948 #159
2004 modern 32,018 #158
2005 modern 31,513 #159
2006 modern 31,503 #159
2007 modern 31,768 #161
2008 modern 32,098 #159
2009 modern 32,897 #161
2010 modern 33,756 #161
2011 modern 33,274 #160
2012 modern 32,410 #160
2013 modern 33,156 #160
2014 modern 33,345 #161
2015 modern 32,965 #161
2016 modern 32,734 #161

Geography

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Where Carrs are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside, London parishes, Gateshead, Liverpool and Sheffield. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to County Durham, Doncaster and Allerdale. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside Durham
2 London parishes London 3
3 Gateshead Durham
4 Liverpool Lancashire
5 Sheffield Yorkshire, West Riding

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 County Durham 040 County Durham
2 County Durham 008 County Durham
3 Doncaster 002 Doncaster
4 County Durham 011 County Durham
5 Allerdale 001 Allerdale

Forenames

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First names often paired with Carr

These lists show first names that appear often with the Carr surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Carr

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Carr, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce

Group

Established but Challenged

Nationally, the Carr surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Established but Challenged, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Carr household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many households in these neighbourhoods comprise separated or divorced single parents with dependent children. Residents are typically born in the UK, and these neighbourhoods have relatively few members of ethnic minorities. The prevalence of children, their parents and those at or above normal retirement age, suggests neighbourhood structures may be long-established. Levels of unpaid care are high, and long-term disability is more common than in the Supergroup as a whole. Use of the social rented sector is common, often in terraced houses. Levels of overcrowding are above the Supergroup average. Unemployment is high, while those in work are employed in elementary occupations such as caring, leisure and customer services. Many residents have low level qualifications. Neighbourhood concentrations of this Group are found in the South Wales Valleys, Belfast, Londonderry and the Central Lowlands of Scotland.

Wider pattern

Living in terraced or semi-detached houses, residents of these neighbourhoods typically lack high levels of education and work in elementary or routine service occupations. Unemployment is above average. Residents are predominantly born in the UK, and residents are also predominantly from ethnic minorities. Social (but not private sector) rented sector housing is common. This Supergroup is found throughout the UK’s conurbations and industrial regions but is also an integral part of smaller towns.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Carr is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Mainly located in Inner London, these neighbourhoods retain a diverse employment structure, with some concentration in associated professional and technical occupations rather than skilled trades or construction. Social renting is more common and levels of homeownership are low. Many residents identify as Black. There is a lower than average rate of marriage or civil partnership, few that are very old (85 or over) and higher than average incidence of disability.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Carr is most concentrated in decile 8 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier end of the index.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

8
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Carr falls in decile 1 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

1
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Carr is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Carr, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Carr

The surname Carr has its origins in the British Isles, derived from the Old Norse word 'karra', which means a cart or wagon. This name likely originated as an occupational surname for someone who worked as a carter or wagon driver.

The earliest known record of the name Carr dates back to the 12th century in England. It appears in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1194 as 'le Karr'. The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 also mention a Robertus Carr in Oxfordshire.

During the Middle Ages, the surname Carr was found across various parts of England, with different spellings like Carre, Carr, and Ker. These variations likely stemmed from regional dialects and the inconsistent spelling practices of the time.

In Scotland, the name Carr was also present, particularly in the Borders region. The Scottish writer and poet, Robert Carr, born in 1575 in Ancrum, Roxburghshire, is one of the earliest notable figures with this surname.

The Domesday Book, compiled in 1086, does not explicitly mention the surname Carr, as it primarily recorded landowners and their manors. However, it does include references to places like Carr House in Yorkshire, which may have been associated with the name's origins.

Other notable historical figures with the surname Carr include:

1. Sir Robert Carr (1586-1645), an English courtier and favorite of King James I. 2. John Carr (1723-1807), an English architect known for designing numerous buildings in Yorkshire and other parts of England. 3. Ralph Carr (1887-1950), an American politician who served as the 34th Governor of Colorado from 1939 to 1943. 4. Emily Carr (1871-1945), a renowned Canadian artist and writer, known for her paintings depicting the indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest. 5. Caleb Carr (born 1955), an American novelist and military historian, best known for his novel "The Alienist".

The surname Carr has also been associated with various place names throughout the British Isles, such as Carr End in Lancashire, Carr Vale in Derbyshire, and Carr Hill in Yorkshire, further indicating its geographical roots and potential connections to early settlements or landmarks.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Carr families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Carr surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Yorkshire leads with 4,239 Carrs recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.03x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 4,239 2.03x
Lancashire 3,101 1.24x
Durham 2,888 4.60x
Northumberland 1,896 6.05x
Middlesex 1,616 0.77x
Surrey 653 0.64x
Kent 500 0.70x
Staffordshire 472 0.66x
Cheshire 467 1.00x
Cumberland 409 2.25x
Norfolk 402 1.24x
Lanarkshire 366 0.54x
Essex 363 0.87x
Lincolnshire 316 0.94x
Angus 301 1.54x
Leicestershire 292 1.25x
Suffolk 238 0.93x
Sussex 225 0.63x
Warwickshire 225 0.42x
Nottinghamshire 173 0.61x
Hampshire 168 0.39x
Wiltshire 168 0.90x
Derbyshire 158 0.48x
Worcestershire 158 0.57x
Perthshire 134 1.42x
Buckinghamshire 119 0.93x
Bedfordshire 97 0.89x
Somerset 92 0.27x
Gloucestershire 81 0.20x
Northamptonshire 80 0.40x
Aberdeenshire 78 0.40x
Fife 77 0.62x
Hertfordshire 74 0.51x
Devon 70 0.16x
Dunbartonshire 67 1.18x
Glamorgan 62 0.17x
Midlothian 60 0.21x
Oxfordshire 57 0.44x
Renfrewshire 56 0.34x
Shropshire 55 0.30x
Kincardineshire 51 1.99x
Berkshire 43 0.27x
Flintshire 39 0.69x
Stirlingshire 38 0.49x
Isle of Man 32 0.82x
Cambridgeshire 30 0.22x
Monmouthshire 29 0.19x
Westmorland 25 0.54x
Huntingdonshire 22 0.53x
Royal Navy 22 0.88x
Channel Islands 20 0.32x
Clackmannanshire 19 1.09x
Inverness-shire 15 0.24x
Ross-shire 14 0.24x
Ayrshire 13 0.08x
West Lothian 13 0.41x
Banffshire 12 0.27x
Berwickshire 12 0.47x
Cornwall 12 0.05x
Wigtownshire 12 0.43x
Dorset 9 0.07x
East Lothian 9 0.32x
Pembrokeshire 9 0.13x
Buteshire 7 0.55x
Caernarfonshire 7 0.08x
Herefordshire 7 0.08x
Kirkcudbrightshire 7 0.23x
Denbighshire 6 0.08x
Roxburghshire 6 0.16x
Argyllshire 4 0.07x
Brecknockshire 4 0.09x
Rutland 4 0.26x
Dumfriesshire 3 0.06x
Morayshire 2 0.06x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Gateshead in Durham leads with 305 Carrs recorded in 1881 and an index of 6.50x.

Place Total Index
Gateshead 305 6.50x
Bishopwearmouth 226 4.20x
Liverpool 212 1.40x
Preston 194 2.90x
Leeds 172 1.46x
Newcastle On Tyne St 170 10.46x
Hedworth Monkton Jarrow 164 6.04x
Sheffield 157 2.36x
Newcastle On Tyne All Sts 151 8.06x
Blackburn 142 2.13x
Islington London 140 0.69x
Manchester 138 1.23x
Lambeth 136 0.74x
Ecclesall Bierlow 129 3.04x
Everton 128 1.61x
Stoke Upon Trent 127 1.68x
Westoe 126 3.54x
St Pancras London 124 0.73x
Toxteth Park 119 1.40x
Barnsley 118 5.48x
Hackney London 115 0.97x
Salford 112 1.52x
Leicester St Margaret 109 1.91x
Elswick 105 4.19x
Rawmarsh 103 13.96x
Mile End Old Town London 101 2.25x
Hulme 97 1.86x
Byker 96 6.19x
Birmingham 95 0.54x
Brightside Bierlow 95 2.32x
West Ham 95 1.03x
Longbenton 94 7.08x
West Derby 94 1.28x
North Meols 92 3.76x
Dundee 88 1.21x
Kensington London 87 0.74x
Glasgow 85 0.70x
Bedlington 81 7.73x
Westgate 81 4.17x
Tynemouth 80 4.76x
St Marylebone London 77 0.68x
Holy Trinity 76 1.51x
Hunslet 76 2.33x
Barony 74 0.43x
Govan 74 0.44x
Belgrave 73 13.84x
Deptford St Paul 73 1.32x
Kingsley 71 53.53x
Sunderland 69 6.23x
Camberwell 68 0.51x
Dewsbury 68 3.17x
Birkdale 66 10.43x
Oldham 65 0.81x
Aston 64 0.44x
Bradford 64 1.27x
Great Yarmouth 64 2.38x
Shoreditch London 64 0.70x
Stockton On Tees 64 2.12x
Wigan 64 1.83x
Worsbrough 63 10.29x
Scarborough 61 3.21x
Winlaton 61 10.14x
Heworth 57 4.61x
Brighton 56 0.78x
Keighley 56 2.52x
Pelton 56 18.77x
Tanfield 56 7.51x
Pudsey 54 4.84x
Rotherhithe 54 2.07x
Sculcoates 54 1.63x
Chirton 53 7.47x
Croydon 52 0.91x
Headingley Cum Burley 52 3.87x
Wakefield 51 3.18x
Chorlton On Medlock 50 1.26x
Brandon Byshottles 49 6.24x
Dukinfield 49 2.28x
Nottingham St Mary 49 0.67x
Clerkenwell London 48 0.96x
Houghton Le Spring 48 11.07x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Carr surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Mary 1,512
Elizabeth 881
Sarah 645
Jane 538
Ann 506
Margaret 419
Ellen 320
Annie 287
Alice 273
Hannah 248
Eliza 223
Emma 217
Isabella 184
Emily 169
Martha 164
Catherine 147
Charlotte 112
Louisa 109
Ada 102
Maria 96
Harriet 92
Fanny 90
Anne 88
Florence 88
Edith 83
Caroline 81
Frances 73
Agnes 69
Eleanor 66
Clara 57
Lucy 54
Susan 51
Amelia 46
Rebecca 44
Rose 42
Bridget 41
Esther 41
Dorothy 40
Susannah 38
Ethel 37
Harriett 37
Jessie 36
Elizth. 35
Gertrude 35
Ruth 35
Sophia 35
Kate 34
Amy 32
Grace 28
Helen 27

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Carr surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
John 1,431
William 1,240
Thomas 838
George 698
James 658
Henry 406
Robert 395
Joseph 375
Charles 336
Edward 204
Richard 172
Arthur 133
Frederick 123
Alfred 122
Walter 107
Samuel 100
Francis 91
Albert 80
Harry 77
Michael 63
Wm. 63
Edwin 62
Herbert 60
David 56
Frank 56
Patrick 56
Matthew 55
Benjamin 54
Thos. 51
Andrew 45
Peter 44
Ernest 43
Ralph 41
Tom 37
Fred 35
Alexander 33
Daniel 33
Stephen 30
Jonathan 29
Hugh 28
Isaac 28
Geo. 27
Anthony 25
Fredrick 22
Joshua 22
Adam 20
Mark 20
Jno. 19
Christopher 18
Jeremiah 18

Top occupations

Occupational titles are kept as recorded and later transcribed, so related jobs, spelling variants and mistakes stay separate. Scholar was the census term for a child in education. That means the other rows often tell you more about adult work in Carr households.

FAQ

Carr surname: questions and answers

How common was the Carr surname in 1881?

In 1881, 21,558 people were recorded with the Carr surname. That placed it at #163 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Carr surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 32,734 in 2016. That gives Carr a modern rank of #161.

What does the Carr surname mean?

An occupational surname referring to someone who transports goods by cart or wagon, or who makes carts.

What does the Carr map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Carr bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.