Explore the Family Name Carpenter
The meaning of Carpenter
1. English (southern): occupational name for a worker in wood, Norman French carpentier (from Late Latin carpentarius ‘cartwright’). 2. Americanized form (translation into English) of German Zimmermann, French Charpentier, Italian Carpentieri, or cognates and equivalents in various other languages.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Carpenter in the United States?
According to the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname Carpenter saw some changes between 2000 and 2010. The rank of the surname dropped from 211 in 2000 to 231 in 2010, a decrease of 9.48 percent. However, the actual count of people with the Carpenter surname slightly increased by 2.22 percent during the same period, moving from 127,073 in 2000 to 129,898 in 2010. There was a slight decline in the proportion per 100,000 people, with the figure dropping from 47.11 in 2000 to 44.04 in 2010, representing a decline of 6.52 percent.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #211 | #231 | -9.48% |
| Count | 127,073 | 129,898 | 2.22% |
| Proportion per 100k | 47.11 | 44.04 | -6.52% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Carpenter
The ethnicity associated with the Carpenter surname also experienced shifts between 2000 and 2010, as per the Decennial U.S. Census data. The largest increase was seen in the Hispanic category, which rose by 52.45 percent, followed by those identifying with two or more races, which increased by 41.67 percent. The Asian/Pacific Islander category also showed an increase of 26.67 percent. The percentage of those identified as White decreased slightly by 2.11 percent, while the Black category saw a modest increase of 4.43 percent. Lastly, the American Indian and Alaskan Native group had a 13.33 percent increase.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 88.07% | 86.21% | -2.11% |
| Black | 8.13% | 8.49% | 4.43% |
| Hispanic | 1.43% | 2.18% | 52.45% |
| Two or More Races | 1.32% | 1.87% | 41.67% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.6% | 0.68% | 13.33% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.45% | 0.57% | 26.67% |
Carpenter ancestry composition
23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Carpenter is British & Irish, which comprises 53.8% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (26.0%) and Eastern European (3.7%). Additional ancestries include Scandinavian, Italian, Spanish & Portuguese, Nigerian, and Indigenous American.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 53.8% |
| French & German | 26.0% |
| Eastern European | 3.7% |
| Other | 16.4% |
Possible origins of the surname Carpenter
Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.
Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Carpenter have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 87.40% |
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 87.30% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 87.30% |
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 87.00% |
| West Midlands, United Kingdom | 86.90% |
What Carpenter haplogroups can tell you
Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.
The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Carpenter is R-Z282, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-Z282 is descended from haplogroup R-M420. Other common haplogroups include R-M417 and R-CTS241, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Johns, Copeland, Lay, Cochrane, Cochran, Worrell, Lane, Lea, Jacobs, Garnett.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Carpenter surname are: H1, T2b, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins R-M420Your maternal lineage may be linked to Marie Antoinette
Because it is so dominant in the general European population, haplogroup H also appears quite frequently in the continent's royal houses. Marie Antoinette, an Austrian Hapsburg who married into the French royal family, inherited the haplogroup from her maternal ancestors. So did Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, whose recorded genealogy traces his female line to Bavaria. Scientists also discovered that famed 16th century astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus traced his maternal lineages to haplogroup H.
What do people with the surname Carpenter have in common?
Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.
Preferences
Chocolate Ice Cream
Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.
"Carpenter" Surname 43.0%
23andMe Users 41.3%
Traits
Misophonia
When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.
"Carpenter" Surname 25.9%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Carpenter" Surname 24.9%
23andMe Users 21.1%
Wellness
Cat Allergy
An allergic reaction to cats, characterized by symptoms such as sneezing, itching, and difficulty breathing.
"Carpenter" Surname 35.5%
23andMe Users 36.7%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Carpenter?
The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.
Disease variant frequency by ancestry
Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Carpenter are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition