| Carter | Ralph | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Cart driver | counsel wolf |
| Origin | English | english |
| Gender | Boy | Boy |
| Pronunciation | KAR-ter | RALF |
| Syllables | 2 | 1 |
| First appeared | 1881 | 0 |
| Peak year | 2015 (10,814) | 1921 (8,860) |
| In 2025 | 6,024 | 0 |
| Trend | Steady | Vintage |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Carter | Ralph |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 39,334 | 1,113 |
| 2010s | 95,261 | 1,978 |
| 2000s | 52,320 | 2,779 |
| 1990s | 9,725 | 4,474 |
| 1980s | 1,680 | 7,998 |
| 1970s | 1,359 | 14,755 |
| 1960s | 1,345 | 34,190 |
| 1950s | 1,612 | 60,440 |
| 1940s | 1,340 | 64,983 |
| 1930s | 863 | 63,802 |
| 1920s | 881 | 84,466 |
| 1910s | 680 | 52,522 |
| 1900s | 199 | 9,298 |
| 1890s | 134 | 6,951 |
| 1880s | 100 | 4,269 |
Carter is an English occupational surname for one who drives or makes carts.
Contracted from the Germanic/Old Norse name Radulf (Radulfr, Old English Raedwulf), combining 'rad' ('counsel, advice') and 'wulf/ulfr' ('wolf'), hence 'counsel wolf'.
Carter is more popular than Ralph today: about 6,024 US babies were given the name Carter in 2025, compared with 0 named Ralph.
Carter means Cart driver (English origin), while Ralph means counsel wolf (english origin).
In US records, Carter first appears in 1881 and Ralph in 0, so Ralph has the longer recorded history.