Baby Names US
boys' name ★ peaked 1957

Carlton

Meaning free peasant settlement Gender Boy · 1% girls Rank 2025 #2,893 Trend ↓ Falling 26%

Carlton is a masculine given name, meaning "free peasant settlement" or "from the town of the free men ".

Rank 2025
#2,893
among boys · ↓96 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
43
named Carlton · -7% vs 2024
How common
1 in 39,723
boys born in 2025
Peak year
1957
962 babies
All-time total
49,167
#519 all-time among boys
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Carlton popularity over time

49,167 babies have been named Carlton since 1880, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.190.380.560.7518801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
BoysGirls

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s – 190 190 19 – #322
1890s – 259 259 26 +36% #316
1900s – 451 451 45 +74% #267
1910s – 2,840 2,840 284 +530% #247
1920s 32 4,714 4,746 475 +67% #234
1930s 17 5,021 5,038 504 +6% #217
1940s 32 5,361 5,393 539 +7% #244
1950s 47 7,920 7,967 797 +48% #238
1960s 59 6,985 7,044 704 -12% #269
1970s 26 4,833 4,859 486 -31% #317
1980s 34 3,993 4,027 403 -17% #383
1990s 30 3,538 3,568 357 -11% #425
2000s – 1,610 1,610 161 -55% #750
2010s – 885 885 89 -45% #1,377
2020s (to 2025) – 290 290 48 -45% #2,241

Where Carlton is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 boys Implied rank
2026 41 0.02 outside top 500
2027 39 0.02 outside top 500
2028 37 0.02 outside top 500
2029 36 0.02 outside top 500
2030 35 0.02 outside top 500

The story of Carlton

Carlton is rare for boys in the United States, ranked #2,893 in 2025 with 43 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 49,167 American babies have been named Carlton. Its peak came in 1957, when 962 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1950s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Carlton stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Carlton?

The median living Carlton is about 56 years old; half are between 39 and 68. An estimated 30 thousand people named Carlton are alive in the United States today.

median 56 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Carlton year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 – – 43 #2,893
2024 – – 46 #2,797
2023 – – 48 #2,702
2022 – – 37 #3,222
2021 – – 55 #2,443
2020 – – 61 #2,241
2019 – – 69 #2,090
2018 – – 64 #2,174
2017 – – 72 #1,978
2016 – – 82 #1,831
2015 – – 99 #1,617
2014 – – 88 #1,714
2013 – – 87 #1,698
2012 – – 100 #1,577
2011 – – 102 #1,547
2010 – – 122 #1,377
2009 – – 114 #1,459
2008 – – 128 #1,345
2007 – – 146 #1,207
2006 – – 143 #1,178
2005 – – 180 #969
2004 – – 137 #1,146
2003 – – 154 #1,025
2002 – – 175 #917
2001 – – 208 #806
2000 – – 225 #750
1995 5 #13,771 328 #566
1990 – – 529 #425
1985 – – 378 #438
1980 8 #7,513 442 #389
1975 – – 496 #346
1970 10 #5,097 584 #327
1965 6 #5,891 639 #296
1960 9 #4,486 849 #274
1955 – – 874 #238
1950 – – 569 #277
1945 – – 500 #262
1940 5 #4,450 492 #244
1935 – – 491 #239
1930 6 #4,106 471 #258
1925 6 #4,514 448 #270
1920 6 #4,471 440 #260
1915 – – 349 #257
1910 – – 89 #257
1905 – – 48 #286
1900 – – 38 #355
1895 – – 27 #361
1890 – – 17 #440
1885 – – 18 #424
1880 – – 13 #507

Famous people named Carlton

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Carlton Cole Carlton Cole English footballer (born 1983) Contemporary
  2. 2 Carlton Palmer English footballer (born 1965) Contemporary
  3. 3 Carlton Cuse Carlton Cuse American television producer and screenwriter (born 1959) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Carlton, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Carlton?

The median living Carlton is about 56 years old. Half of all living Carltons are between 39 and 68 years old.

How many people named Carlton are alive today?

An estimated 30 thousand people named Carlton are alive in the United States, based on 49,167 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Carlton mean?

Carlton is a masculine given name, meaning "free peasant settlement" or "from the town of the free men ".

How popular is the name Carlton in 2025?

Carlton ranked #2,893 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 43 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Carlton?

49,167 babies have been named Carlton in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Carlton most popular?

Carlton peaked in 1957, when 962 newborns received the name.

Is Carlton a boy or girl name?

Carlton is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 99% of babies with the name.

Is the name Carlton rising or falling?

Carlton is declining, less popular now than a decade ago.

Will Carlton become more popular?

Carlton is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 35 boys named Carlton in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Carlton?

Well-known people named Carlton include Carlton Cole (soccer player), Carlton Palmer (soccer player), Carlton Cuse (writer).

Names like Carlton

Names that sound and feel close to Carlton: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Carlton with similar names → More names starting with C →