Show ContentsCarrier History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The name Carrier has a history dating as far back as the early portion of the Middle Ages. It was a Languedoc name for a carter. Tracing the origin of the name further, we found the name Carrier was originally from the Old French word "carrier," which means "carter".

Early Origins of the Carrier family

The surname Carrier was first found in Languedoc, where the family has held a family seat since ancient times.

The name was first found in Canada with Jean Carrier in 1670. [1] Jean was born in France in 1640 and is the son of Jean and Jeanne (née Dodier). After arriving in Quebec he married Barbe Halay, daughter of Jean and Mathurine (née Vallet), on 14th November 1670. [2]

Early History of the Carrier family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Carrier research. Another 272 words (19 lines of text) covering the years 1662, 1683, 1717 and 1825 are included under the topic Early Carrier History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Carrier Spelling Variations

French surnames were subject to numerous spelling alterations depending on the region and time it was used. The early development of the French language relied heavily on borrowing elements and grammar from other languages. For example, Old French was infused with Germanic words and sounds when barbarian tribes invaded and settled in France after the fall of the Roman Empire. Middle French also borrowed heavily from the Italian language during the Renaissance. As a result of these linguistic and cultural influences, the name Carrier is distinguished by a number of regional variations. The many spelling variations of the name include Carrier, Carier, Carrié, Carié, Carriey, Carriay, Carryer, Caryer, Carriaie, Carriais, Cariaie, Cariais, De Carrier, De Carier, De Carrié, De Carié, De Carriey, De Carriay, De Carryer, De Caryer, De Carraie, De Carriais, De Cariaie, De Cariais, Du Carrier, Du Carier, Du Carrié, Du Carié, Du Carriey, Du Carriay, Du Carryer, Du Caryer, Du Carriaie, Du Carriais, Du Cariaie, Du Cariais, Le Carrier, Le Carier and many more.

Early Notables of the Carrier family

Another 28 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Carrier Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Carrier World Ranking

In the United States, the name Carrier is the 1,952nd most popular surname with an estimated 14,922 people with that name. [3] However, in Canada, the name Carrier is ranked the 286th most popular surname with an estimated 15,047 people with that name. [4] And in Quebec, Canada, the name Carrier is the 109th popular surname. [5] France ranks Carrier as 1,065th with 5,065 people. [6]


United States Carrier migration to the United States +

In 1643, 109 years after the first landings by Cartier, there were only about 300 people in Quebec, in 1663 there were only 500, 2,000 migrants arrived during the next decade. Early marriage was desperately encouraged amongst the immigrants. Youths of 18 took fourteen-year-old girls for their wives. The fur trade was developed and attracted migrants, both noble and commoner from France. 15,000 explorers left Montreal in the late 17th and 18th centuries. Migration from France to New France or Quebec as it was now more popularly called, continued from France until it fell in 1759. By 1675, there were 7000 French in Quebec. By the same year the Acadian presence in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island had reached 500. In 1755, 10,000 French Acadians refused to take an oath of allegiance to England and were deported to Louisiana. Meanwhile, in Quebec, the French race flourished, founding in Lower Canada, one of the two great solitudes which became Canada. Many distinguished contributions have been made by members of this family name Carrier. It has been prominent in the arts, religion, politics and culture in France and New France. Amongst the settlers in North America with this distinguished name Carrier were

Carrier Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • John Carrier, who settled in Nevis in 1654
  • Thomas Carrier, who settled in Virginia in 1654
  • John Carrier, who settled in Maryland in 1662
  • John Carrier, who arrived in Maryland in 1662 [7]
  • Thomas Carrier, who landed in New England in 1665 [7]
Carrier Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Jean Carrier, who landed in South Carolina in 1755 [7]
  • Joseph Carrier, who landed in South Carolina in 1755 [7]
  • Germain Carrier, who landed in South Carolina in 1755 [7]
  • Charles Ignace Carrier, who arrived in South Carolina in 1756 [7]
  • Charles Ignace Carrier, an Acadian, who arrived in South Carolina in 1756
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Carrier Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Archibald Carrier, who arrived at Philadelphia in 1822
  • Archibald Carrier, aged 45 settled in Philadelphia in 1822
  • Arthur Carrier, who settled in Philadelphia in 1865
  • Flora Carrier, aged 40 settled in Philadelphia in 1865 with 2 children

Canada Carrier migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Carrier Settlers in Canada in the 17th Century
  • Jean Carrier, who is on record in Montreal in 1660
  • André Carrier, son of François and Élisabeth, who married Cécile Janot, daughter of Marin and Françoise, in Montreal, Quebec on 17th November 1670 [8]
  • Jean Carrier, son of Jean and Jeanne, who married Barbe Hallay, daughter of Jean and Mathurine, in Quebec on 14th November 1670 [8]
  • Charles Carrier, son of Jean and Barbe, who married Marie Gesseron, daughter of Louis and Agathe, in Lévis, Quebec on 15th June 1699 [8]
Carrier Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • Jean Carrier married Jeanne Samson in Québec in 1705
  • Ignace Carrier, son of Jean and Barbe, who married Rosalie Duquet, daughter of Jean and Catherine-Ursule, in Lévis, Quebec on 2nd June 1710 [8]
  • Antoine Carrier, son of André and Cécile, who married Madeleine Quesnel, daughter of Olivier and Catherine, in Lachine, Quebec on 20th April 1718 [8]
  • Ignace Carrier, son of Ignace and Périnne-Geneviève, who married Élisabeth Rochon, daughter of Etiennne and Élisabeth, in Lévis, Quebec on 27th May 1722 [8]
  • Charles Carrier, son of Charles and Marie, who married Véronique Guay, daughter of Louis and Suzanne, in Lévis, Quebec on 17th November 1727 [8]
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Carrier Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • Jean-Baptiste Carrier, who settled in Québec
  • Miss. Margaret Carrier, aged 6 months who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "Champion" departing from the port of Liverpool, England but died on Grosse Isle in September 1847 [9]

Australia Carrier migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Carrier Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • John Carrier, English convict from York, who was transported aboard the "Agincourt" on July 6, 1844, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia [10]
  • Mr. William Carrier, (Allen), English convict who was convicted in Leicester, Leicestershire, England for 15 years, transported aboard the "Equestrian" on 25th January 1844, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Island) [11]
  • William Carrier, English convict from Somerset, who was transported aboard the "Adelaide" on August 08, 1849, settling in Van Diemen's Land and Port Phillip, Australia [12]

Contemporary Notables of the name Carrier (post 1700) +

  • Willis Haviland Carrier (1876-1950), American inventor, who invented the air conditioner in 1911, awarded the ASME Medal in 1934, founder of the Carrier Corporation in 1915
  • Ronald Edvin Carrier (1932-2017), American academic, 4th President of James Madison University (1971–1998)
  • John Mark Carrier (b. 1965), former professional American NFL football wide receiver
  • George F. Carrier (1918-2002), American mathematician and Professor Emeritus at Harvard University
  • James Darel Carrier (b. 1940), American former professional basketball player and gold medalist at the 1967 Pan American Games
  • Corey Thomas Carrier (b. 1980), American child actor, best known as playing Indiana Jones in The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles
  • Richard Carrier (b. 1969), American freelance writer, researcher and translator
  • Albert-Ernest Carrier -Belleuse (1824-1887), French sculptor
  • Louis-Anthelme Carrier, French Brigadier General during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars from 1789 to 1815 [13]
  • Brigadier-General Louis Carrier (1889-1969), French Commanding Officer during World War II [14]
  • ... (Another 5 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)


Suggested Readings for the name Carrier +

  • Descendants of George S. Carrier and Mariah Foresman by Wilma May Myers.
  • Some Descendants of Thomas Carrier of Andover and Billerica, Massachusetts, Who Died in Colchester, Connecticut, May 16, 1735, and His Wife Martha (Allen) Carrier, Who, As a Result of the Infamous Witch Trials, Was Hung at Salem, Massachusetts on August 19, 1692 by George S. May.

  1. Hozier, Charles D, and Antoine Bachelin-Delforenne. État présent De La Noblesse française (1883-1887): Contenant Le Distionnaire De La Noblesse Contemporaine Et Larmorial général De France, Dapres Les Manuscrits De Ch. D Hozier. Librairie Des Bibliophiles, 1884. Print.
  2. Olivier, Reginald L. Your Ancient Canadian Family Ties. Logan: The Everton Publishers, Inc., P.O. Box 368, 1972. Print
  3. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  4. "Surnames Meanings, Origins & Distribution Maps - Forebears." Forebears, https://forebears.io/surnames
  5. "The first 1,000 family names by rank, Quebec (in French only)" Institut de la statistique du Quebec, https://statistique.quebec.ca/en/document/family-names-in-quebec/tableau/the-first-1000-family-names-by-rank-quebec
  6. http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
  7. 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)
  8. Internoscia, Arthur E., and Claire Chevrier. Dictionnaire National des Canadiens Français 1608-1760. Vol. 1, Institut Drouin, 1958.
  9. Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 17)
  10. State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2014, November 24) Agincourt voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1844 with 226 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/agincourt/1844
  11. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 4th May 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/equestrian
  12. State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2014, November 17) Adelaide voyage to Van Diemen's Land and Port Phillip, Australia in 1849 with 303 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/adelaide/1849
  13. Generals Who Served in the French Army during the Period 1789-1815. (Retrieved 2015, February 11) Louis-Anthelme Carrier. Retrieved from http://www.napoleon-series.org/research/c_frenchgenerals.html
  14. Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2011, October 3) Louis Carrier. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Carrier/Louis/France.html


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