# Carlisle (surname)

Source: https://namelineage.com/surname/carlisle/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. Counts from the US Census Bureau; origin and etymology from Wiktionary; bearers from Wikidata. Data updated 2026-11-11.

A habitational surname from Old English.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | not recorded |
| Type | place, taken from where an ancestor lived or came from |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 20,365 |
| US rank (2010) | 1,763 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 15,161 people |
| Change since 2000 | +3.3% (19,718 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | /kɑːɹˈlaɪl/, 2 syllables |
| Variant spellings | Carlill |

## Etymology

From Middle English Carlele, from Middle English Carleol, Carleul, from Cumbric [Term?] (compare Caer Ligualid in the Historia Brittonum, Middle Welsh Caer Liwelydd, Welsh Caerliwelydd, all suffixed with -ydd), composed of Proto-Brythonic *kaɨr (“fort”) + Proto-Brythonic [Term?] (> Latin Luguvalium), from Proto-Celtic *Luguwalos (personal name, literally “strength of Lugus”), from *Lugus + *walos (“strength”). The absence of a suffix comparable to Welsh -ydd in the underlying Cumbric form is unexplained; see w:Cumbric/Absence of -ydd.

## Who carries it

Share of people named Carlisle in the 2010 US Census by the Census's own race and ethnicity groups. The Census suppresses a share when the count behind it is small.

| Group | Share |
|---|---|
| White (not Hispanic) | 79% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 15% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 2.1% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 0.5% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.8% |
| Two or more races | 2.2% |

## Where

Wikidata records people named Carlisle in the United States and the United Kingdom.

## People named Carlisle

- Belinda Carlisle, American singer (born 1958)
- Mary Carlisle, American actress (1914–2018)
- Kitty Carlisle, American stage and screen actress, singer, and spokesperson for the arts (1910–2007)
- Rick Carlisle, American basketball player and coach
- John G. Carlisle, American politician (1834–1910)
- Bob Carlisle, American Contemporary Christian singer and songwriter
- Una Mae Carlisle, American jazz singer, pianist, and songwriter (1915–1956)
- Cliff Carlisle, American musician (1903–1983)
- Daniel Carlisle, American sports shooter
- Peggy Carlisle, British actress

## Similar surnames

Carlson, Charles, Carlos, Carlsen, Carlucci, Carlstrom, Carolus, Corrales, Charleston, Corliss, Carlock, Charlesworth.

## How to read these numbers

A Census count is people alive and counted in 2010, not births, and names occurring fewer than 100 times are not published at all. Ethnicity shares are the Census's own categories.