NameRealm
Carey

Carey: name meaning, origin & popularity

Meaning
“from Ciardha; dark-haired”
Origin
Irish
Say it
KAIR-ee · 2 syllables
Used for
Both (43% girls, 57% boys since 1880)

Carey comes from an Irish surname derived from Ó Ciardha, based on ciar meaning 'dark'. It is also found as an English surname and unisex given name.

Irish namesEnglish namesSurname-style namesInternational names

How popular is Carey?

20246.9 per million US babies
1880192019602000
Drag the line or the slider to read any year. Values are per million US births recorded by Social Security. Records before about 1937 undercount births, so early peaks can look taller than they were.

Babies named Carey in 202423

Peak year1975

Total US babies since 188029,607

Carey is fading: recent use is about 54% of its level ten years before.

Names like Carey

Variants, related forms and names with the same roots.

  • Caryfrom Carey; from the stream fort · English
  • Rileyvaliant · Irish
  • Rowanlittle red-haired one · Irish
  • Quinndescendant of Conn · Irish
  • Roryred king · Irish
  • Lennonlover · Irish
  • Caseyvigilant · Irish
  • Murphysea warrior · Irish

Carey questions

What does the name Carey mean?

Carey means "from Ciardha; dark-haired". It comes from Irish. Carey comes from an Irish surname derived from Ó Ciardha, based on ciar meaning 'dark'. It is also found as an English surname and unisex given name.

Is Carey a boy or girl name?

Carey is used for both: about 43% of US babies named Carey since 1880 were girls.

How popular is Carey?

23 US babies were named Carey in 2024. Its peak year was 1975.

How do you pronounce Carey?

Carey is usually pronounced KAIR-ee.

Birth counts: US Social Security Administration national data, 1880–2024 (names given to 5+ babies of a sex in a year). How we write meanings.