Show ContentsCarder History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Etymology of Carder

What does the name Carder mean?

The Anglo-Saxon name Carder comes from when its first bearer worked as a person who worked as a carder. The surname denotes the occupation of a carder of wool, an occupation frequented by women during medieval times. 1

Early Origins of the Carder family

The surname Carder was first found in Yorkshire, where the first records of the family appeared in the source Freemen of York. it was there that John le Carder, 7 Edward III and Robert de Coleby, carder, 8 Edward III were listed. A few years later, Margareta Cardar was listed in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379. 2

Early History of the Carder family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Carder research. Another 193 words (14 lines of text) covering the years 1332, 1379, 1500, 1570, 1577, 1578, 1586, 1670, 1677 and 1750 are included under the topic Early Carder History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Carder Spelling Variations

Until quite recently, the English language has lacked a definite system of spelling rules. Consequently, Anglo-Saxon surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. Changes in Anglo-Saxon names were influenced by the evolution of the English language, as it incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other languages. Although Medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, so it is common to find one person referred to by several different spellings of his surname, even the most literate people varied the spelling of their own names. Variations of the name Carder include Carder, Cardere, Cardar, Cardare, Carderre and others.

Early Notables of the Carder family

Notables of this surname at this time include:

  • Peter Carder, (fl. 1577-1586), a Cornish mariner from "St...
  • In October 1578, the ship being then in the Straits of Magellan, Carder was one of eight men in the pinnace who in a gale lost sight of the ship, and, not being able to sight her again, made the mainl...
  • They got to an island some three leagues distant from the shore, where two of the wounded men died, Carder and another William Pitcher, by name, being left the sole survivors...

Carder Ranking

In the United States, the name Carder is the 4,255th most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. 3


Carder migration to the United States +

Searching for a better life, many English families migrated to British colonies. Unfortunately, the majority of them traveled under extremely harsh conditions: overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the ocean. For those families that arrived safely, modest prosperity was attainable, and many went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the new colonies. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Carder or a variant listed above:

Carder Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Richard Carder, who landed in Boston, Massachusetts in 1636 4
  • Richard Carder who arrived in Boston in 1636
Carder Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Step Carder, who arrived in Virginia in 1701 4
Carder Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • D D Carder, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1851 4
Carder Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Mrs. Elizabeth Carder, (b. 1843), aged 60, Cornish settler travelling aboard the ship "New York" arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 25th October 1903 en route to Rutland City, Vermont, USA 5
  • Mr. Thomas Carder, (b. 1840), aged 63, Cornish merchant travelling aboard the ship "New York" arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 25th October 1903 en route to Rutland City, Vermont, USA 5

Carder migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Carder Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • J. Carder, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Annie Wilson" in 1863
  • Mr. Carder, British settler travelling from Plymouth aboard the ship "Roman Emperor" arriving in Lyttlelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 30th March 1863 6
  • Hannah Carder, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Ernestina" in 1865
  • George Carder, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Ernestina" in 1865
  • Ann Carder, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Ernestina" in 1865
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Carder (post 1700) +

  • Kenneth Lee Carder (b. 1940), retired American Bishop of the United Methodist Church
  • Alex Carder (b. 1989), American football quarterback
  • Ricky "Tank" Carder Jr. (b. 1989), American football linebacker
  • Frederick Carder (1863-1963), American artist and glassmaker
  • Clarence Carder, American university administrator
  • John B. Carder, American fighter pilot and flying ace in the U.S. Army Air Forces, during World War II, credited with 5 aerial victories
  • B. E. Carder, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Oklahoma, 1936, 1940, 1944 7
  • Muriel Spurgeon Carder (b. 1922), Canadian Baptist who was the first woman ordained as a Baptist minister in Ontario


  1. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  2. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  3. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  4. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  5. Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 3rd May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_ellis_island_1892_on.pdf
  6. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  7. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 23) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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