Karter
The Story of Karter
As a girl name
American parents first put Karter on the record books as a girl name in 1997, with 6 registered babies. Its peak popularity came in 2015, when 410 Karters were born — ranking #692 that year. About 54% of every Karter on record arrived during the 2010s, its defining decade. As of 2026, Karter ranks #979 for girls with 264 births, gradually falling (-15%). All told, over 5K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1990s to the 2020s.
As a boy name
Karter first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a boy name in 1985, with 5 babies given the name that year. The name hit its high-water mark in 2019: 2,424 births, good for #163 nationwide. About 55% of every Karter on record arrived during the 2010s, its defining decade. As of 2026, Karter ranks #276 for boys with 1,217 births, falling sharply (-35%). All told, over 31K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1980s to the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Names that sound like Karter
Phonetically similar names — useful when Karter is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Karter
What does the name Karter mean?
How popular is Karter in 2026?
When was Karter most popular?
In which U.S. states is Karter most popular?
Is Karter a unisex name?
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About the name Karter
Karter is a unisex baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1985 and has accumulated 31K births in the dataset. Karter's peak popularity came in 2019 when it ranked #162. Use the chart and map above to compare Karter's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 2019 →
- Names of the 2010s →
- Names starting with "K" →
- Browse all boy names →
- Top names of 2026 →
- Browse unisex names →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.