Carey
Carey was the 6519th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 13 babies. Its best year was 1957, when it ranked 353rd with 461 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 2,207 places. More babies were named Carey in the 1970s than in any other decade.
Meaning (as Kerry) County Kerry; Irish and English surnames · Irish, English
- Rank in 2025
- #6,519 boys, up 180 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 13boys
- Girls and boys
- 26% girls, 74% boys2021–2025
- Peak year
- 1957461 babies
- Total since 1880
- 29,621babies recorded
What does the name Carey mean?
Carey is a spelling of Kerry, pronounced the same way, so it shares Kerry's meaning and origin.
Kerry is the name of a county in southwest Ireland, Irish Ciarraí 'people of Ciar', and is also a surname. Wiktionary gives the surname two sources: an English one from a personal name based on Old Norse Kári, and an Irish one from Ó Ciardha 'descendant of Ciardha', from ciar 'dark, black'. As a first name it was used for both boys and girls in the mid-20th century.
ciar (Irish, “dark, black”)Kári (Old Norse, “personal name”)
How sure is this? Probable. Several sources share the form.
Related names: Keri, Carey, Ciara.
See also: Irish names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Kerry', Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- US Social Security Administration, national baby-name data 1880-2025 (our computation), SSA (public domain)
Carey popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Rank (boys) | Babies (girls) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | — | #6,519 | — | 13 |
| 2020 | #10,434 | #6,699 | 9 | 12 |
| 2010 | #6,973 | #3,910 | 18 | 26 |
| 2000 | #3,411 | #2,385 | 39 | 40 |
| 1990 | #1,579 | #860 | 96 | 141 |
| 1980 | #545 | #665 | 342 | 168 |
| 1970 | #490 | #453 | 409 | 324 |
| 1960 | #897 | #411 | 137 | 370 |
| 1950 | #1,116 | #409 | 68 | 272 |
| 1940 | #2,318 | #603 | 13 | 96 |
| 1930 | #3,708 | #803 | 7 | 65 |
| 1920 | #2,286 | #854 | 16 | 63 |
| 1910 | #2,182 | #570 | 6 | 25 |
| 1900 | — | #447 | — | 26 |
| 1890 | — | #609 | — | 11 |
| 1880 | #756 | #506 | 6 | 13 |
How popular is Carey, counting every spelling?
Carey is a spelling of Kerry, a name family that had 98 boys in 2025 across its spellings. Together these spellings went to 98 boys in 2025.
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Carey?
13 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Carey (0.00 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Carey born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 646 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Carey.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Carey?
About 11,400 people born in the US named Carey are alive today, with a median age of 57; half are between 45 and 68. That makes Carey a name most people associate with older generations.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Carey: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Carey, they share its era and feel.
Questions about the name Carey
What does Carey mean?
Carey is a spelling of Kerry, which means “County Kerry; Irish and English surnames” (Irish, English origin). Certainty: probable.
How popular is the name Carey?
Carey was the 6519th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 13 babies. Its best year was 1957, when it ranked 353rd with 461 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 2,207 places. More babies were named Carey in the 1970s than in any other decade.
Is Carey a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, 26% girls, 74% boys given the name Carey in the US.