Carter is Beyoncé’s married surname, shared with rapper Jay-Z.
Beyoncé was born Beyoncé Giselle Knowles in Houston, Texas, on September 4, 1981. She married Shawn Carter, known professionally as Jay-Z, in 2008. Her professional name remains Beyoncé, and she has continued to use Knowles in biographical contexts, but Carter is the surname associated with her marriage.
Jay-Z’s birth name is Shawn Corey Carter. The couple have collaborated repeatedly, including on “Crazy in Love,” “’03 Bonnie & Clyde,” and the joint album Everything Is Love, released in 2018 under the billing The Carters.
A common mix-up is treating “Knowles” and “Carter” as competing stage names. Knowles is Beyoncé’s birth surname, while Carter is her married surname. The couple’s family includes three children: Blue Ivy, born in 2012, and twins Rumi and Sir, born in 2017.