Etymology & Historical Origin of the Baby Name Karter

Karter is an Americanized respelling of Carter. Carter comes from the transferred use of an English surname which originated as an occupation name. The word cart comes from the Old French “caret” and means ‘carrier.’ Surnames were introduced in England after the Norman Conquest in 1066 as a means to keep track of people and their assets for reasons of taxation. Trade-descriptive surnames were among the earliest to be introduced around the 12th century and were passed down to the son only if he followed his father into the same line of work. The spelling variation of Carter developed from its earlier predecessors such as Charer or Charman describing a carter or driver of a "char", a short form of chariot. Another possible derivation of the name Carter comes from the Gaelic word “cairtear” which is a term for a tourist or sojourner. It is not clear when Carter began to be used as a first name, but it’s been at least a couple hundred years. Karter is a typical Americanized respelling that often swaps the “C” for a “K” (think: Kaleb, Kristopher, Kody, Kolton, Konnor).

All About the Baby Name – Karter

Personality

OF THE BOY NAME KARTER

The number one personality is a leader - strong and competitive. They are willing to initiate action and take risks. One personalities work hard toward their endeavors and have the ability to apply their creative and innovative thinking skills with strong determination. They believe in their ability to succeed and are too stubborn to be hindered by obstacles. Ones meet obstacles head-on with such mental vigor and energy that you better step aside. They resent taking orders, so don't try telling them what to do either. This is an intensely active personality, but they are also known as starters rather than finishers. They have a propensity to become bored and will move quickly to the next project if not properly challenged.  They are the ones to think up and put into action new and brilliant ideas, but they are not the ones to stick around and manage them. This personality has an enthusiastic and pioneering spirit. They are distinctly original.

Popularity

OF THE BOY NAME KARTER

Karter is a new entrant onto the American male naming charts, obviously influenced by the rising popularity of his more commonly spelled brother Carter. As mentioned above, many American parents love to change traditional “C” names into “K” names. This is both common with girls (Kamilla, Kassandra, Khloe) as well as for boys (Kaleb, Kody, Konnor). This practice can be a bit controversial and often prompts some eye-rolling out in society, but it is common enough to be considered fairly widespread. It really comes down to a matter of preference, but name bearers of these more kitschy spellings moan over having to correct people all the time. Karter is a strong-sounding name and spelling it with a K gives it a little more masculinity. As a surname derived from a working-class occupation, Karter also has a certain down-to-earth quality.

Quick Facts

ON KARTER

GENDER:

Boy

ORIGIN:

American

NUMBER OF SYLLABLES:

2

RANKING POPULARITY:

300

PRONUNCIATION:

KAHR-tər

SIMPLE MEANING:

One who transports goods in a cart

Characteristics

OF KARTER

Independent

Individualistic

Ambitious

Strong-willed

Inventive

Successful

Cultural References to the Baby Name – Karter

Literary Characters

OF THE BABY NAME KARTER

We cannot find any significant literary characters by the name of Karter

Childrens Books

ON THE BABY NAME KARTER

We cannot find any childrens books with the first name Karter


Popular Songs

ON KARTER

We cannot find any popular or well-known songs with the name of Karter


Famous People

NAMED KARTER

We cannot find any celebrities or significantly famous people with the first name Karter.

Children of Famous People

NAMED KARTER

We cannot find any children of famous people with the first name Karter

Historic Figures

WITH THE NAME KARTER

We cannot find any historically significant people with the first name Karter