# Carmichael (surname)

Source: https://namelineage.com/surname/carmichael/  
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 Scots.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | Scottish |
| Type | place, taken from where an ancestor lived or came from |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 19,628 |
| US rank (2010) | 1,825 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 15,730 people |
| Change since 2000 | +3.2% (19,011 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | /ˈkɑɹmaɪkəl/, 3 syllables |
| Variant spellings | Carmical, Carmicheal |

## Etymology

From Cumbric *cayr (cognate of Welsh caer (“fort, stronghold”)) + the personal name Michael.

## Who carries it

Share of people named Carmichael 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) | 72% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 22% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 2.2% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 0.6% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.5% |
| Two or more races | 2.2% |

## Where

Wikidata records people named Carmichael in the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia.

## People named Carmichael

- Hoagy Carmichael, American composer, pianist, singer, actor and bandleader (1899–1981)
- Stokely Carmichael, American activist (1941-1998)
- Laura Carmichael, British actress
- Jesse Carmichael, American musician
- Jerrod Carmichael, American comedian, actor, writer and director (born 1987)
- Robert Daniel Carmichael, American mathematician (1879-1967)
- Caitlin Carmichael, American actress
- Ricky Carmichael, American motorcycle and stock car racing driver
- Phil Carmichael, Australian rugby union player (1884-1973)
- Bob Carmichael, Australian tennis player (1940–2003)
- Jackie Carmichael, American basketball player (born 1990)
- Leonard Carmichael, American psychologist and the 7th Secretary of the Smithsonian (1898–1973)

and 5 more on Wikidata.

## Similar surnames

Carmack, Carmouche, Carranza, Crenshaw, Cornejo, Carnes, Carrington, Cornish, Cronk, Cairns, Crank, Czarnecki.

## 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.