Casey
Casey was the 320th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 1,072 babies. Its best year was 1987, when it ranked 80th; the most babies were born in 1990 (4,134). Over the last ten years it has moved up 235 places. More babies were named Casey in the 1980s than in any other decade.
Meaning watchful (Irish Ó Cathasaigh) · Irish
Say it KAY-see /ˈkeɪsi/
- Rank in 2025
- #320 boys, up 197 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 1,072boys
- Girls and boys
- 20% girls, 80% boys2021–2025
- Peak year
- 19904,134 babies
- Total since 1880
- 194,775babies recorded
What does the name Casey mean?
Casey is the English form of the Irish surname Ó Cathasaigh, "descendant of Cathasach", a personal name Wiktionary glosses as "watchful, vigilant". Woulfe's 1923 index lists Casey under the Gaelic surnames it anglicizes. Woulfe also lists a "son of" form, Mac Cathasaigh, which gave MacCasey and sometimes plain Casey. As a first name Casey is used for both boys and girls.
Ó Cathasaigh (Irish, “descendant of Cathasach”)Cathasach (Old Irish, “watchful, vigilant”)
How sure is this? Probable. The 'watchful' gloss of Cathasach is given by Wiktionary; needs a check against an Irish dictionary.
Related names: Kasey, Kacey, KC.
See also: Irish names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Casey', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Patrick Woulfe, Sloinnte Gaedheal is Gall: Irish Names and Surnames (1923), index of Irish surnames and their anglicized forms, M. H. Gill & Son (Internet Archive scan)
Casey popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Rank (boys) | Babies (girls) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #1,065 | #320 | 228 | 1,072 |
| 2020 | #1,064 | #517 | 233 | 554 |
| 2010 | #610 | #398 | 484 | 706 |
| 2000 | #208 | #193 | 1,517 | 1,822 |
| 1990 | #106 | #89 | 3,261 | 4,134 |
| 1980 | #135 | #93 | 2,172 | 3,215 |
| 1970 | #662 | #256 | 242 | 899 |
| 1960 | #1,253 | #430 | 76 | 347 |
| 1950 | #2,557 | #643 | 16 | 117 |
| 1940 | — | #1,373 | — | 24 |
| 1930 | — | #1,703 | — | 19 |
| 1920 | — | #1,050 | — | 44 |
| 1910 | — | #681 | — | 19 |
| 1900 | — | #703 | — | 13 |
| 1890 | — | #1,028 | — | 5 |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — |
How popular is Casey, counting every spelling?
Casey is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #316 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #320 for Casey on its own. Together these spellings went to 1,117 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Casey | 1,072 | #320 | 4,920 |
| Kazi | 45 | #2,821 | 198 |
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 Casey?
1,072 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Casey (0.30 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Casey 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 8 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Casey.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Casey?
About 108,100 people born in the US named Casey are alive today, with a median age of 37; half are between 29 and 45. That makes Casey mostly worn by adults in their thirties to fifties.
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.
Casey by state
How common Casey was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in South Dakota (2.6×), Massachusetts (2.4×), Connecticut (2.1×), Idaho (2.0×), New Mexico (1.9×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in North Dakota, Florida, Georgia.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Casey: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Casey, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Casey · Sibling names for Casey
Questions about the name Casey
What does Casey mean?
Casey means “watchful (Irish Ó Cathasaigh)” (Irish origin). Certainty: probable.
How popular is the name Casey?
Casey was the 320th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 1,072 babies. Its best year was 1987, when it ranked 80th; the most babies were born in 1990 (4,134). Over the last ten years it has moved up 235 places. More babies were named Casey in the 1980s than in any other decade.
Is Casey a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, 20% girls, 80% boys given the name Casey in the US.
Where is Casey most popular?
In 2021–2025, Casey was most common in South Dakota (1.50 per 1,000 boys), followed by Massachusetts and Connecticut.