# Carr (surname)

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

A northern English habitational surname from Old Norse derived from Old Norse kjarr (“brushwood”).

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | Norse |
| Type | place, taken from where an ancestor lived or came from |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 119,076 |
| US rank (2010) | 255 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 2,593 people |
| Change since 2000 | +4.6% (113,892 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | /kɑː(ɹ)/, 1 syllable |
| Variant spellings | Kerr, Corr, Corry, Corrie, Curry, Carry |

## Etymology

* As an English and Scottish surname, variant of Kerr. * As an Irish surname, from the root of the surname Keary, from ciar (“black”); compare Carey. * Also as an Irish surname, named after a priest Cathair (compare cathair (“fort”)) * Also as an Irish surname, from a personal name derived from corr (“pointed, projected point”).

## Who carries it

Share of people named Carr 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) | 74% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 21% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 2.4% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 0.5% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.6% |
| Two or more races | 2.1% |

## Where

Wikidata records people named Carr in the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Israel.

## People named Carr

- John Dickson Carr, American writer (1906–1977)
- Eric Carr, American drummer, member of the rock band Kiss (1950–1991)
- Jimmy Carr, British comedian and humourist
- Gerald Carr, American astronaut (1932–2020)
- Henry Carr, American track and field athlete (1941/2–2015)
- Allen Carr, British author (1934–2006)
- Bill Carr, American sprinter (1909–1966)
- Leroy Carr, American blues singer, songwriter and pianist (1905–1935)
- Cathy Carr, American swimmer
- Sabin Carr, American pole vaulter (1904-1983)
- Nicholas G. Carr, American writer
- Emma P. Carr, American spectroscopist and chemical educator (1880–1972)

and 41 more on Wikidata.

## Similar surnames

Carey, Cary, Caro, Corr, Carew, Carrow, Cairo, Carra, Cara, Carraway, Cayer, Curry.

## 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.