Boy · English (from Anglo-French) · International
Carter
CarterSay it KAAR-ter
- Meaning today
- Cart driver, transporter of goods
- Original meaning
- "a cart-driver; one who carries goods by cart" Online Etymology Dictionary, s.v. carter
- Say it
- KAAR-ter
- Other spellings
- Karter
Carter
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Carter meaning
Carter is an international boy's name of English origin (from Anglo-French).
A cart-driver; one who carries goods by cart
Also used to mean: cart driver, transporter of goods
Carter is an English occupational surname for a person who drove a cart and carried goods. The Online Etymology Dictionary records carter as "cart-driver" in the early thirteenth century and as a surname even earlier, in the late twelfth, from Anglo-French careter and the English verb cart. Like Cooper, Archer and Hunter, it is one of the trade names that English-speaking parents have turned into first names, and it has been carried by people such as Jimmy Carter, the 39th president of the United States. For Indian families the name is short and easy to say, and it works well with a traditional Indian middle name.
Source: Online Etymology Dictionary (etymonline.com), s.v. carter · entry carter · See the entry · checked 25 Oct 2026
References: Online Etymology Dictionary, carter · Britannica, Jimmy Carter
Famous namesakes
- Jimmy Carter, 39th president of the United States
Popularity abroad
- #45 United States, boys 2025 (up 1 from 46 in 2024)
US Social Security Administration - #97 England and Wales, boys 2025
Office for National Statistics
Official birth registrations. India publishes no national name statistics.
Spellings
Carter · Karter