Carl vs Carter

Side-by-side comparison of Carl and Carter - popularity rank, total births, peak decade, and historical trends from Social Security Administration data.

Name A

Carl

Boy name · Rank #1031

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Name B

Carter

Boy name · Rank #46

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Which name is more popular?

Metric Carl Carter
Current Rank #1031 #46
Total Births (all years) 504,827 206,833
Peak Year 1956 2015
Peak Year Births 8,313 10,814
Peak Decade 1950s 2010s
Gender Boy Boy
First Recorded Year 1880 1881

Births by Decade

Decade Carl Carter
1880s 5,227 100
1890s 8,047 134
1900s 9,865 199
1910s 48,454 680
1920s 69,851 881
1930s 66,759 863
1940s 72,739 1,340
1950s 78,752 1,612
1960s 60,787 1,345
1970s 31,370 1,359
1980s 25,472 1,680
1990s 14,693 9,725
2000s 7,198 52,320
2010s 4,225 95,261
2020s 1,388 39,334

Recent Annual Births (2014–present)

Year Carl Carter
2014 436 10,691
2015 457 10,814
2016 445 10,220
2017 415 9,833
2018 345 9,385
2019 319 8,682
2020 286 7,577
2021 246 7,205
2022 220 6,361
2023 233 5,878
2024 216 6,289
2025 187 6,024

Data Sources

Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, ssa.gov/oact/babynames.
Source: SSA Annual Name Rankings, 1880–2025.

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