Cary is a boy name with a classic feel, drawn from real birth records. Below you'll find what Cary means and where it comes from, plus how many babies have been named Cary across the United States, UK, Ireland and New Zealand, how popular Cary has been over the decades, and the year it peaked.
Cary is a boy name of Celtic origin meaning “from the river Cary”. An English surname from a place name, popularized by actor Cary Grant.
| Country | Births on record |
|---|---|
| United States since 1880 | 29,827 births |
| England & Wales since 1996 | 54 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 Cary per year, United States (1880 to 2025). United States peaked in 1959 (906/yr) · England & Wales peaked in 1996 (6/yr).
Cary has been a fairly common baby name in the United States. It was most common in 1959, when it ranked #565 nationally (given to 906 babies that year).
Gary · Carrie · Corey · Cory · Cora · Kara · Kari · Garry
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