This is a list of real and fictional people with the surname Carpenter.
A
- Albert J. Carpenter (1911–1999), Rear Admiral in the United States Coast Guard
- Alan Carpenter (born 1957), Australian politician
- Alex Carpenter (born 1994), American ice hockey player
- Alexander Carpenter, Latinized as Fabricius (fl.1429)
- Alfred Carpenter (1881–1955), British naval officer, Vice-Admiral and Victoria Cross recipient
- Allan Carpenter (1917–2003), American non-fiction writer
- Allie May "A.M." Carpenter (1887–1978), artist and art educator
- Almeria Carpenter (1752–1809) British courtier and mistress of Prince William Henry, Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh
- Amanda Carpenter (born 1982), American author and columnist for The Washington Times
- Archibald Boyd-Carpenter (1873–1937), British politician
- Audrey T. Carpenter (PhD 1959), British biographer
- Aurelius O. Carpenter (1836–1919), American photographer, writer and abolitionist
C
- Cameron Carpenter (born 1981), American organist
- Candi Carpenter (fl. 2010s), American country music singer-songwriter
- Carleton Carpenter (1926–2022), American movie, TV and stage actor, magician, author, and songwriter
- Catherine "Kate" Carpenter (c. 1730s–1784), Virginia pioneer for whom Kate's Mountain is named
- Cecelia Svinth Carpenter (1924–2010), historian of the Nisqually people
- Chad Carpenter (born c. 1968), American cartoonist
- Charisma Carpenter (born 1970), American actor
- Christina Carpenter (fl. 1329–1332), 14th-century anchoress
- Clarence E. "Pete" Carpenter (1914–1987), American jazz trombonist, musical arranger, and television theme song scorer
- Clarence Ray Carpenter (1905–1975), American primatologist
- Claude E. Carpenter (1904–1976), American set decorator
- Cliff Carpenter (1915–2014), American actor
- Connie Carpenter-Phinney (born 1957), American professional cycle racer and speed skater
- Constance Carpenter (1904–1992), English-born American film and musical theatre actor
- Coy Cornelius Carpenter (1900–1971), physician and dean of the School of Medicine of Wake Forest University
- Cyrus C. Carpenter (1829–1898), Civil War veteran, Republican governor of Iowa, U.S. Representative from Iowa
D
- Dan Carpenter (born 1985), American football placekicker
- Daniel C. Carpenter (1815–1866), early New York police detective
- David Aaron Carpenter, New York violist
- Davis Carpenter (1799–1878), U.S. Representative from New York
- Delphus E. Carpenter (1877–1951), Colorado state senator and water rights lawyer
- Don Carpenter (1931–1995), American writer
- Don Carpenter (fl. 1960s), electrical engineer, discoverer of the plasmasphere
- Donald F. Carpenter (1899–1985), American businessman and government official
- Doug Carpenter (born 1942), hockey coach
- Drew Carpenter (born 1985), American baseball pitcher
- Dudley Newcomb Carpenter (1874–1955), doctor, U.S. Navy officer, writer
E
- Edwin Francis Carpenter (1898–1963), American astronomer
- Elbert L. Carpenter (1862–1945), lumberman who helped organize the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra, namesake of Elbert L. Carpenter House
- Ellen Maria Carpenter (1830–1908), American painter
- Ellie Carpenter (born 2000), Australian footballer
- Elisabeth Carpenter Satterthwait (born 1856), author
- Eliza Carpenter (1851–1924), early African-American race horse owner
- Elizabeth Carpenter (born 1953), American writer, designer, and game developer
- Ensley A. Carpenter (c. 1819–before 1910), doctor for whom the town of Carpenter, Kentucky was named
- Ernie Carpenter (1907–1997), West Virginia fiddle player
F
- Flavius Josephus Carpenter (1851–1933), Arkansas veteran of the Civil War, steamboat captain, entrepreneur
- Florence Carpenter Dieudonné (1850–1927), early science fiction and fantasy writer
- Frances Carpenter (1890–1972), American photographer and author
- Francis Bicknell Carpenter (1830–1900), 19th century American painter
- Francis M. Carpenter (1834–1919), New York politician
- Frank G. Carpenter (1855–1924), 1920s travel guide author
- Frank M. Carpenter (1902–1994), paleoentomologist & curator of fossil insects at the Harvard Museum of Comparative Zoology
- Franklin R. Carpenter (1848–1910), 19th century American mining engineer
- French Carpenter (1899–1965), West Virginia fiddle player
G
- Gail Carpenter (born 1948), a cognitive scientist, neuroscientist, mathematician and adaptive resonance theory pioneer
- Geoffrey Douglas Hale Carpenter (1882–1953), British entomologist and evolutionary biologist
- Gordon Carpenter (1919–1988), American basketball player
- Grace Carpenter Hudson (1865–1937), American painter
- Grant Carpenter (1865–1936), American newspaperman, lawyer, and writer
- Guy Carpenter (1869–1935), founder of Guy Carpenter & Company, LLC, a global risk and reinsurance specialist
H
- Harlean Carpenter, better known as Jean Harlow (1911–1937), American film actor
- Harriet Frances Carpenter (1868/75 - 1956), American educator and writer
- Harry Carpenter (1925–2010), BBC sports commentator
- Harry Carpenter (bishop) (1901–1993), warden of Keble College, Oxford and 37th Bishop of Oxford
- Helen Knipe Carpenter (1881–1959), illustrator and writer
- Henry Bernard Carpenter (1840–1890), Unitarian clergyman and poet
- Herbert Carpenter (1869–1933), English cricketer
- Hermon P. Carpenter (1877–1958), early Florida educator
- Hick Carpenter (1855–1937), American Major League Baseball third baseman
- Holly Carpenter (born 1991), Miss Ireland 2011
- Horace B. Carpenter (1875–1945), American actor, director, and screenwriter
- Horace Thompson Carpenter (1857–1947), artist and illustrator
- Humphrey Carpenter (1946–2005), English biographer, author and radio broadcaster
J
- J. D. Carpenter (born 1948), Canadian poet and crime novelist
- J. L. Carpenter (1839–1919), American politician
- J. R. Carpenter (born 1972), Canadian artist, writer and performer
- Jack Carpenter (American football) (1923–2005), American football player
- Jake Burton Carpenter (1954–2019), owner of Burton Snowboards
- Jay Hall Carpenter (born 1961), sculptor
- Jean Anne Carpenter, also known as Jean Carnahan (born 1933), American politician and writer
- Jeanne Carpenter (1917–1994), American child actor of the silent era
- Jeff Carpenter (fl. 2000s–2010s), Native American musician
- Jennifer Carpenter (fl. 1990s–2020s), American actor
- Joel Carpenter, pseudonym of Arnold Manoff (1914–1965), American screenwriter
- Joseph Estlin Carpenter (1844–1927) Unitarian minister and pioneer in the study of comparative religion
- Josh Carpenter (born 1979), American actor
- Jot D. Carpenter (1938–2000), American landscape architect
- Joyce Carpenter (1923−2016), New Zealand diver
- Juliet Winters Carpenter (born 1948), translator of modern Japanese literature into English
- Julius Angelo Carpenter (1827–1880), American manufacturer and politician
- Justin Carpenter (fl. 2010s), a game developer known for making Harms Way (video game)
K
- Karen Carpenter (1950–1983), singer and musician, half of The Carpenters
- Kathleen E. Carpenter (1891–1970), British freshwater ecologist
- Katie Carpenter (fl. 2010s–2020s), American actress, costume designer, and film producer
- Keion Carpenter (1977–2016), American football defensive back
- Keith Carpenter (born 1941), Canadian tennis player
- Kent E. Carpenter (fl. 1970s–2010s), professor of biological sciences
- Kerry Carpenter (born 1997), American baseball player
- Kip Carpenter (born 1979), American speed skater
- Kyle Carpenter (born 1989), Medal of Honor recipient for actions in combat in Operation Enduring Freedom
L
- Lant Carpenter (1780–1840), English educator and Unitarian minister
- Larry Carpenter (born 1948), American television soap opera director
- Lauren Carpenter, New York violinist, sister of David Aaron Carpenter
- Lea Carpenter (fl. 2000s–2010s), American writer and editor
- Lemuel Carpenter (c. 1808–1859), Anglo-American California pioneer
- Leonard Carpenter (born 1948), technical writer and author of fantasy and science fiction
- Leonard Carpenter (rower) (1902–1994), American Olympic rower
- Lester Carpenter (born 1970), Republican member of the Mississippi House of Representatives
- Levi D. Carpenter (1802–1856), United States Representative from New York
- Little Carpenter, nickname of Attakullakulla (c. 1708–1777), influential Cherokee leader and the tribe's First Beloved Man from 1761 to c. 1775
- Liz Carpenter (1920–2010), feminist writer, reporter, and public relations expert
- Loren Carpenter (born 1947), computer graphics researcher and developer
- Louisa d'Andelot Carpenter (1907–1976), du Pont heiress, Jazz Age socialite, and aviator
- Lucy Carpenter (born 1969), Professor of Physical Chemistry at the University of York and Director of the Cape Verde Atmospheric Observatory
- Lyn Carpenter (born 1965), English netball administrator and former player
M
- Malcolm Scott Carpenter, better known as Scott Carpenter (1925–2013), astronaut
- Malinda Carpenter (fl. 1990s–2020s), Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, child development psychology researcher
- Margaret Carpenter (born 1950), member of the North Carolina House of Representatives 2001–2002
- Margaret Sarah Carpenter (1793–1872), née Geddes, British artist
- Margaret Seymour Carpenter (1893–1987), novelist
- Marion Carpenter (1920–2002), White House news photographer
- Marion Carpenter Yazdi (1902–1996), Bahá'í writer
- Marnee Carpenter (born 1990), American actress
- Mary Carpenter (1807–1877), English educational and social reformer
- Mary Chapin Carpenter (born 1958), country music singer-songwriter
- Matt Carpenter (baseball) (born 1985), Major League Baseball third baseman
- Matt Carpenter (runner) (born 1964), American trail runner
- Matthew H. Carpenter (1824–1881), 19th century Republican Senator for Wisconsin
- Melanie Carpenter (1971–1995), abducted and murdered Canadian woman
- Meriva M. Carpenter (1802–1887), American artist
- Merlin Carpenter (born 1967), English artist
- Michael Carpenter (politician) (fl. 1840s–1850s), 19th-century mayor of Lancaster, Pennsylvania
- Michael Carpenter (tennis) (born 1936), Canadian tennis player
- Michael E. Carpenter (born 1947), American lawyer and politician from Maine
- Moses Carpenter (1854–1889), Native American who died in England
P
- Patricia Carpenter (music theorist) (1923–2000), an American professor of music theory at Barnard College and Columbia University
- Patricia Carpenter (psychologist) (fl. 1990s–2000s), professor of psychology at Carnegie Mellon University
- Paul Carpenter (actor) (1921–1964), Canadian actor and singer
- Paul Carpenter (baseball), minor league baseball player
- Paul B. Carpenter (1928–2002), Californian politician
- Percy Carpenter (1820–1895), British artist
- Peter Carpenter (1891-1971), Welsh pilot
- Peter F. Carpenter (born 1940), American philanthropist
- Philip Herbert Carpenter (1852–1891), 19th Century British naturalist
- Philip Pearsall Carpenter (1819–1877), malacologist
- Philo Carpenter (1805–1886), Chicago's first pharmacist, and an outspoken abolitionist
- Preston Carpenter (1934–2011), American football player
R
- R. R. M. Carpenter (1877–1949), American business executive
- R. R. M. Carpenter Jr. (1915–1990), owner and club president of the Philadelphia Phillies
- Ralph Carpenter (1909–2009), expert on Colonial American design
- Ramsey Carpenter-Bearse (born 1990), Miss Kentucky 2014, competitor for the title of Miss America 2015
- Randolph Carpenter (1894–1956), U.S. Representative from Kansas
- Rene Carpenter (1928–2020), American newspaper columnist and television host
- Rhys Carpenter (1889–1980), classical art historian and professor at Bryn Mawr College
- Rita (Carpenter) Jenrette (born 1949), better known Rita Jenrette American celebrity, actor, television journalist, and real estate executive
- Rolla C. Carpenter (1852–1919), American engineer
- Rollo Carpenter (born 1965), creator of Jabberwacky AI software
- Ron Carpenter (defensive back) (born 1970), American football player
- Ron Carpenter (defensive lineman) (born 1948), American football player
- Ron Carpenter (designer) (born 1950), British type designer
- Ruly Carpenter (1940–2021), principal owner and club president of the Philadelphia Phillies
- Russell Carpenter (born 1950), American cinematographer
- Ryan Carpenter (born 1991), American professional ice hockey center
- Ryan Carpenter (baseball) (born 1990), American professional baseball pitcher
S
- Sabrina Carpenter (born 1999), actress and singer
- Scott Carpenter (1925–2013), Mercury program astronaut and aquanaut
- Scott Carpenter (water polo) (born 1988), British water polo player
- Sean Carpenter, New York violinist, brother of David Aaron Carpenter
- Shawn Carpenter (fl. 2000s), American Navy veteran
- Shelt Carpenter (1862–1937), West Virginia outdoorsman and fiddle player
- Simon Carpenter (fl. 2000s–2010s), British entomologist
- Stanley Jennings Carpenter (1904–1984), US Army colonel and medical entomologist
- Steve Carpenter (born 1971), Canadian ice hockey defenceman
- Steve Carpenter (American football) (born 1958), American football defensive back
- Sue Carpenter (born 1956), former UK TV presenter
- Susan Carpenter (fl. 1990s–2010s), American writer and pirate radio personality
W
- Walker Carpenter (1893–1956), American football tackle for John Heisman's Georgia Tech Golden Tornado
- Walter Cecil Carpenter (1834–1904), born Walter Cecil Talbot, Royal Navy officer
- Walter Randolph Carpenter (1877–1954), Australian-Canadian entrepreneur, businessman and philanthropist
- Walter S. Carpenter Jr. (1888–1976), American corporate executive
- Warren L. Carpenter (1931–2003), US Air Force flight surgeon
- Warren William Carpenter, nicknamed Hick Carpenter, (1855–1937), American Major League Baseball third baseman
- Wendi B. Carpenter (born 1956), Rear Admiral, U.S. Navy
- Whitney Carpenter, American journalist
- Willie C. Carpenter (fl. 1970s–2020s), American actor
No first name
- Dr. Carpenter, British spy in Ice Station Zebra (novel)
- "Mr. Carpenter", alias of Klaatu in the film The Day the Earth Stood Still
- The Carpenter family, a protagonist family line in the 1987 novel Sarum
- The Carpenter Clan, focuses on a group of women in the 1996 novel Shadow Ranch by Jo-Ann Mapson
B
- Bop Carpenter, patriarch of the Carpenter family clan in Jo-Ann Mapson's novel Shadow Ranch
D
- Derek Carpenter, in the 2010 television film Mothman
J
- Jack Carpenter, main character in a series of books by James Swain
- Jake Carpenter, main character from Pirate Diary: The Journal of Jake Carpenter by Richard Platt
- Joe Carpenter, protagonist of the novel Sole Survivor
- Dr. John Carpenter, the main character played by Elvis Presley in the 1969 musical drama film Change of Habit.
- Joseph Carpenter, codenamed "Joker", supporting character from the Read or Die series of novels, manga, and anime
- Julia Carpenter, the second Spider-Woman and Madame Web in Marvel Comics
M
- Meg Carpenter, a genre fiction ghostwriter, book reviewer, and writing coach in the 2010 novel Our Tragic Universe by Scarlett Thomas
- Michael Carpenter, a major side character in The Dresden Files book series by Jim Butcher
O
- O Be Joyful Carpenter, a Puritan character in the 1997 novel London
S
- Sabina Carpenter, widow of a Pinkerton detective in Bill Pronzini's 1890s Western detective short story collection Carpenter and Quincannon, Professional Detective Services