Cary
Cary is a given name. Notable people with the name include:Cary Angeline, American football player Cary Brothers, American singer-songwriter Cary Elwes, English actor and writer Cary Joji Fukunaga, American film director Cary Grant (1904–1986), English-American actor Cary Guffey, American former child actor Cary Huang, American animator and YouTuber Cary Kaplan,, sports marketer Cary Kwok, Hong…
- English
- Turkmen
Meaning & Origin of Cary
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Cary is a given name. Notable people with the name include:Cary Angeline, American football player Cary Brothers, American singer-songwriter Cary Elwes, English actor and writer Cary Joji Fukunaga, American film director Cary Grant (1904–1986), English-American actor Cary Guffey, American former child actor Cary Huang, American animator and YouTuber Cary Kaplan,, sports marketer Cary Kwok, Hong…
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)
- English
- Turkmen
The Story of Cary
As a girl name
American parents first put Cary on the record books as a girl name in 1882, with 7 registered babies. Its peak popularity came in 1975, when 204 Carys were born — ranking #722 that year. About 30% of every Cary on record arrived during the 1970s, its defining decade. Cary last appeared in the published SSA data in 2024, with 5 recorded births — it has not charted nationally since. All told, over 5K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1880s to the 2020s.
As a boy name
The earliest SSA record of Cary as a boy name dates back to 1880, when 17 babies received it. 1957 was its biggest year on record, with 788 newborns named Cary — #268 in the national rankings. About 29% of every Cary on record arrived during the 1960s, its defining decade. As of 2026, Cary ranks #3,631 for boys with 31 births, holding steady (+4%). All told, over 25K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1880s to the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Names that sound like Cary
Phonetically similar names — useful when Cary is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Cary
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About the name Cary
Cary is a unisex baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 25K births in the dataset. Cary's peak popularity came in 1957 when it ranked #264. Use the chart and map above to compare Cary's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1957 →
- Names of the 1950s →
- Names starting with "C" →
- Browse all boy names →
- Top names of 2026 →
- Browse unisex names →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.