Carter is a very old English occupational surname that formerly referred to "the one who uses a cart". Until today it most frequently occurs as a surname, the famous bearer being Jimmy Carter, the 39th President of the United States and a 2002 Nobel Peace Prize Winner. As a given name, Carter was used fairly seldom, but in the 1990s its popularity skyrocketed in the US. It is also very popular in England, Canada and Northern Ireland.