Carter vs Carl

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

Name A

Carter

Boy name · Rank #46

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Name B

Carl

Boy name · Rank #1032

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Which name is more popular?

Metric Carter Carl
Current Rank #46 #1032
Total Births (all years) 200,762 504,635
Peak Year 2015 1956
Peak Year Births 10,814 8,314
Peak Decade 2010ss 1950ss
Gender Boy Boy
First Recorded Year 1881 1880

Births by Decade

Decade Carter Carl
1880ss 100 5,227
1890ss 134 8,047
1900ss 199 9,865
1910ss 680 48,454
1920ss 881 69,851
1930ss 863 66,757
1940ss 1,340 72,739
1950ss 1,612 78,754
1960ss 1,345 60,785
1970ss 1,360 31,370
1980ss 1,683 25,472
1990ss 9,725 14,695
2000ss 52,320 7,197
2010ss 95,250 4,223
2020ss 33,270 1,199

Recent Annual Births (2014–present)

Year Carter Carl
2014 10,690 436
2015 10,814 457
2016 10,218 445
2017 9,831 415
2018 9,382 343
2019 8,682 319
2020 7,575 286
2021 7,202 245
2022 6,356 220
2023 5,870 233
2024 6,267 215

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, 1881–2024.

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