Karter is a modern American respelling of Carter, the English occupational surname for someone who drove a cart, so it means "cart driver" or "transporter of goods". The K spelling follows the pattern of Kayden, Kason and Kolton, which gives familiar names a fresh, custom look. Karter entered the US top 1000 in 2005, peaked at number 162 in 2020 and ranks number 270 among boys' names in 2025.