Carey is a unisex name with a classic feel, drawn from real birth records. Below you'll find what Carey means and where it comes from, plus how many babies have been named Carey across the United States, UK, Ireland and New Zealand, how popular Carey has been over the decades, and the year it peaked.
Carey is a unisex name of Irish (Gaelic) origin meaning “descendant of the dark one”. An anglicized Irish surname, also a variant of Cary.
| Country | Births on record |
|---|---|
| United States since 1880 | 29,621 births |
| England & Wales since 1996 | 127 births |
| Scotland since 1974 | 19 births |
| Ireland since 1964 | 3 births |
Counts come from official national birth-registration statistics: U.S. Social Security Administration, England & Wales (Office for National Statistics), Scotland (National Records of Scotland), Northern Ireland (NISRA), Ireland (Central Statistics Office) and New Zealand (Dept. of Internal Affairs). Coverage spans differ, so totals aren't directly comparable across countries.
Babies named Carey per year, United States (1880 to 2025). United States peaked in 1975 (1,058/yr) · England & Wales peaked in 1996 (15/yr) · Scotland peaked in 1979 (4/yr) · Ireland peaked in 1985 (3/yr).
Carey has been a fairly common baby name in the United States. It was most common in 1975, when it ranked #442 nationally (given to 1,058 babies that year).
Gary · Carrie · Corey · Cory · Garry · Cara · Crew · Cary
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