unisex name
Karter
KAR-ter
- Origin English
- Gender Unisex
- Syllables 2
- Letters 6
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 36,226
the United States
#270
2025 births
Karter is a unisex name of English origin, a respelling of Carter, the occupational surname for someone who drove a cart. The K spelling is entirely modern and American, and it rose and fell far more sharply than the traditional spelling ever has.
- Karter is a name of English origin.
- Peaked in 2019, when 2,795 babies were given the name.
- It has been rising over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 2,180 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1985.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Karter over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1980s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1980s | 5 |
| 1990s | 241 |
| 2000s | 2,286 |
| 2010s | 19,481 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 12,039 |
What Karter means
Karter means one who drives or makes carts, from the Middle English cartere. The K is a spelling choice rather than a difference in meaning — the sense is identical to Carter, and both trace to the same medieval trade.
Where Karter comes from
Karter respells Carter, which comes from the Middle English cartere, itself from a Norse or Norman root for a cart. A carter transported goods by cart and the trade was common enough to leave one of the most frequent occupational surnames in English. The K spelling belongs to a late twentieth-century American pattern of substituting K for hard C in given names, and it appears in our records from 1985. It rose fast, peaking in 2019, and its trajectory is much steeper in both directions than the parent spelling — a common signature of names carried by fashion rather than tradition.
Karter in use
Karter peaked in 2019 with a sharper climb and fall than Carter has ever shown, which is characteristic of a respelling rather than a name in its own right.
How popular is Karter?
In 2025, Karter was given to 1,521 babies in the United States, ranking #270 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Karter is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Karter
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Karter also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Karter over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
1 nickname for Karter
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Karter in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Karter
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Karter — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Karter
What does the name Karter mean?
Karter means one who drives a cart, from the Middle English cartere. It is a respelling of Carter and the meaning is the same.
Is Karter a boy's or a girl's name?
Both, though it is given more often to boys.
What is the difference between Karter and Carter?
Only the spelling. Carter is the traditional form and Karter is a modern American respelling that first appears in the records in the 1980s.
How popular is the name Karter?
In 2025, Karter was given to 1,521 babies in the United States, ranking #270 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
How many syllables are in Karter?
Karter has 2 syllables.
When was Karter most popular?
Karter peaked in 2019, when 2,795 babies were given the name. It has been rising over the past decade.
What are the nicknames for Karter?
Karter is usually shortened to Kay.
Is Karter a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Karter currently ranks #270 in the United States. It has been rising over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.