A

• Albert J. Carpenter (1911–1999), Rear Admiral in the United States Coast Guard
• Alan Carpenter (born 1957), Australian politician
• Alexander Carpenter, Latinized as Fabricius (fl.1429)
• Alexandra Carpenter (born 1994), American ice hockey player
• 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
• Aurelius O. Carpenter (1836–1919), American photographer, writer and abolitionist

B

• B. Platt Carpenter (1837–1921), Governor of Montana Territory from 1884 to 1885
• Benajah Carpenter (1748–1776), founding member of the US Army Field Artillery Corps
• Benjamin Carpenter (1725—1804), Revolutionary War Colonel, leader of colonial Vermont constitution and Lt. Governor.
• Benjamin Carpenter (British Army officer) (c. 1713/14–1788), British army officer
• Bill Carpenter (born 1937), American football player and army officer
• Boyden Carpenter (1909–1995), American Hillbilly and Bluegrass musician

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

I

• Imogen Carpenter (born Mary Imogene Carpenter; 1912–1993), American musician and actress
• Isaac Carpenter (drummer) (born 1979), American drummer, percussionist, producer, audio engineer and session musician
• Isaac M. Carpenter (1920–1998), American jazz musician and bandleader of the 1940s and 1950s

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

N

• Nathanael Carpenter (1588/9?–1628), English author and geographer
• Nathaniel L. Carpenter (1805–1892), entrepreneur and businessman of antebellum Natchez, Mississippi
• Neil Carpenter (born 1944), Canadian pair skater
• Nicholas Carpenter (fl. 2000s–2010s), film director, son of Scott Carpenter
• Novella Carpenter (fl. 2000s–2010s), writer and gardener, or gardener and writer

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

T

• Tariq Carpenter (born 1998), American football player
• Teresa Carpenter (born 1948), Pulitzer-prize-winning American author
• Terry Carpenter (1900–1978), Nebraska politician
• Thelma Carpenter (1922–1997), jazz singer and actress
• Thelma Carpenter (billiards player) (1911–1986), English billiards and snooker player
• Theodore Carpenter (1898–1975), jazz musician
• Tim Carpenter (born 1960), Democrat member of the Wisconsin Senate

V

• Vivian Carpenter (born 1952), accounting academic and business executive

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
• Willie C. Carpenter (fl. 1970s–2020s), American actor

Z

No first name

• Dr. Carpenter, British spy in Ice Station Zebra (novel)
• "Mr. Carpenter", alias of Klaatu (The Day the Earth Stood Still) 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

A

• Andy Carpenter, the lead character in a series of mystery books by David Rosenfelt (author)
• Atticus Carpenter, the overriding antagonist in Insurrection (StarCraft)

B

• Bop Carpenter, patriarch of the Carpenter family clan in Jo-Ann Mapson's novel Shadow Ranch

C

• Cassie Carpenter, from EastEnders

D

• Derek Carpenter, in the 2010 television film Mothman

E

• Lieutenant Elroy Carpenter, on the television show McHale's Navy

G

• Dr. Guy Carpenter, physicist protagonist of A Hole in Texas
• Guy Carpenter from Neighbours

H

• Hannah Carpenter, in EastEnders
• Henry Carpenter, the title character of The Book of Henry

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

K

• Kelvin Carpenter, from EastEnders

L

• Lauren Carpenter, in the Australian soap opera Neighbours
• Lou Carpenter, from Neighbours
• Louise Carpenter, in Neighbours

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

N

• Nora Carpenter, in the American horror movie Final Destination 2

O

• O Be Joyful Carpenter, a Puritan character in the 1997 novel London

P

• Patsy Carpenter, the main character of the 1970 novel Moving On by Larry McMurtry
• Patsy Carpenter, a character in Terms of Endearment

S

• Sabina Carpenter, widow of a Pinkerton detective in Bill Pronzini's 1890s Western detective short story collection Carpenter and Quincannon, Professional Detective Services

T

• Tony Carpenter, from EastEnders

Z

• Zoe Carpenter, in the soap opera Hollyoaks