Carey
- Gender
- Mostly girls
- UK rank, 2025
- #5,065 for boys
- US rank, 2025
- #6,442 for boys
Carey is a name, meaning “to love”. In 2025 it ranked 5,065th for boys in the UK (3 babies) and 6,442nd for boys in the US (13 babies).
What does Carey mean?
“to love”
A unisex given name.
From Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Is Carey a girl's or a boy's name?
In recent years, Carey has been given to girls and boys, mostly girls. In 2025, it was given to 3 boys in the UK and 13 boys in the US.
How popular is Carey in the UK?
No girls in the UK were given it in 2025, or too few to be listed. Its busiest year was 1996, with 12 girls. 3 boys were also named Carey in 2025 (5,065th for boys).
Half of all the girls named Carey in the UK since 1996 were born between 1997 and 2014. It was already well used in 1996, when the records begin, so earlier girls aren't counted.
In 2020, 57% of the babies named Carey in the UK were girls.
Carey in the UK, year by year
| Year | Girls | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 4 | #4,915 |
| 2022 | 0 | – |
| 2021 | 0 | – |
| 2020 | 8 | #3,009 |
| 2019 | 0 | – |
| 2018 | 0 | – |
| 2017 | 0 | – |
| 2016 | 5 | #4,290 |
| 2015 | 4 | #4,951 |
| 2014 | 5 | #4,187 |
| 2013 | 2 | #7,600 |
| 2012 | 3 | #6,108 |
| 2011 | 0 | – |
| 2010 | 3 | #5,938 |
| 2009 | 0 | – |
| 2008 | 0 | – |
| 2007 | 2 | #6,929 |
| 2006 | 4 | #4,357 |
| 2005 | 6 | #3,133 |
| 2004 | 5 | #3,356 |
| 2003 | 0 | – |
| 2002 | 0 | – |
| 2001 | 3 | #4,156 |
| 2000 | 1 | #5,280 |
| 1999 | 6 | #2,559 |
| 1998 | 8 | #2,110 |
| 1997 | 12 | #1,559 |
| 1996 | 12 | #1,520 |
How popular is Carey in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- 6,442nd among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 13 about 1 in 130,000 boys
- Five-year trend
- Steady down 19% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1% chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 13 boys in the US were named Carey, making it the 6,442nd most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 6,616th. Its busiest year was 1957, with 461 boys.
Half of all the boys named Carey in the US since 1880 were born between 1950 and 1975, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 2018, 30% of the babies named Carey in the US were girls.
Carey in the US, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 13 | #6,442 |
| 2024 | 18 | #5,237 |
| 2023 | 12 | #6,892 |
| 2022 | 11 | #7,256 |
| 2021 | 7 | #9,709 |
| 2020 | 12 | #6,616 |
| 2019 | 18 | #5,149 |
| 2018 | 23 | #4,350 |
| 2017 | 22 | #4,462 |
| 2016 | 24 | #4,198 |
| 2015 | 23 | #4,293 |
| 2014 | 21 | #4,534 |
| 2013 | 24 | #4,062 |
| 2012 | 28 | #3,711 |
| 2011 | 29 | #3,604 |
| 2010 | 26 | #3,893 |
| 2009 | 28 | #3,719 |
| 2008 | 27 | #3,820 |
| 2007 | 39 | #2,972 |
| 2006 | 32 | #3,304 |
| 2005 | 27 | #3,524 |
| 2004 | 33 | #3,010 |
| 2003 | 26 | #3,438 |
| 2002 | 49 | #2,151 |
| 2001 | 50 | #2,082 |
| 2000 | 40 | #2,375 |
| 1999 | 51 | #1,900 |
| 1998 | 45 | #2,065 |
| 1997 | 66 | #1,547 |
| 1996 | 73 | #1,419 |
| 1995 | 73 | #1,375 |
| 1994 | 81 | #1,292 |
| 1993 | 102 | #1,104 |
| 1992 | 124 | #964 |
| 1991 | 131 | #916 |
| 1990 | 141 | #855 |
| 1989 | 142 | #836 |
| 1988 | 167 | #730 |
| 1987 | 140 | #777 |
| 1986 | 158 | #720 |
| 1985 | 169 | #683 |
| 1984 | 156 | #699 |
| 1983 | 168 | #659 |
| 1982 | 171 | #668 |
| 1981 | 165 | #672 |
| 1980 | 168 | #665 |
| 1979 | 198 | #609 |
| 1978 | 224 | #559 |
| 1977 | 253 | #522 |
| 1976 | 256 | #501 |
| 1975 | 302 | #464 |
| 1974 | 298 | #464 |
| 1973 | 279 | #467 |
| 1972 | 282 | #467 |
| 1971 | 350 | #436 |
| 1970 | 324 | #453 |
| 1969 | 344 | #424 |
| 1968 | 336 | #418 |
| 1967 | 324 | #423 |
| 1966 | 308 | #433 |
| 1965 | 283 | #462 |
| 1964 | 332 | #441 |
| 1963 | 336 | #435 |
| 1962 | 325 | #440 |
| 1961 | 331 | #440 |
| 1960 | 370 | #410 |
| 1959 | 437 | #378 |
| 1958 | 399 | #392 |
| 1957 | 461 | #353 |
| 1956 | 366 | #393 |
| 1955 | 363 | #377 |
| 1954 | 403 | #359 |
| 1953 | 320 | #392 |
| 1952 | 338 | #369 |
| 1951 | 290 | #397 |
| 1950 | 272 | #408 |
| 1949 | 196 | #469 |
| 1948 | 232 | #439 |
| 1947 | 226 | #444 |
| 1946 | 173 | #487 |
| 1945 | 132 | #520 |
| 1944 | 138 | #514 |
| 1943 | 130 | #550 |
| 1942 | 132 | #531 |
| 1941 | 104 | #579 |
| 1940 | 96 | #602 |
| 1939 | 85 | #642 |
| 1938 | 102 | #579 |
| 1937 | 86 | #631 |
| 1936 | 81 | #644 |
| 1935 | 80 | #663 |
| 1934 | 93 | #615 |
| 1933 | 61 | #782 |
| 1932 | 76 | #708 |
| 1931 | 58 | #825 |
| 1930 | 65 | #802 |
| 1929 | 81 | #683 |
| 1928 | 60 | #854 |
| 1927 | 70 | #786 |
| 1926 | 79 | #716 |
| 1925 | 65 | #822 |
| 1924 | 66 | #838 |
| 1923 | 68 | #815 |
| 1922 | 85 | #709 |
| 1921 | 68 | #834 |
| 1920 | 63 | #853 |
| 1919 | 77 | #720 |
| 1918 | 58 | #869 |
| 1917 | 80 | #668 |
| 1916 | 64 | #763 |
| 1915 | 59 | #785 |
| 1914 | 68 | #609 |
| 1913 | 39 | #745 |
| 1912 | 36 | #713 |
| 1911 | 14 | #895 |
| 1910 | 25 | #569 |
| 1909 | 13 | #804 |
| 1908 | 17 | #632 |
| 1907 | 11 | #814 |
| 1906 | 15 | #613 |
| 1905 | 19 | #525 |
| 1904 | 17 | #538 |
| 1903 | 16 | #550 |
| 1902 | 12 | #650 |
| 1901 | 11 | #637 |
| 1900 | 26 | #446 |
| 1899 | 13 | #548 |
| 1898 | 22 | #418 |
| 1897 | 20 | #422 |
| 1896 | 15 | #534 |
| 1895 | 17 | #491 |
| 1894 | 12 | #594 |
| 1893 | 11 | #615 |
| 1892 | 19 | #445 |
| 1891 | 11 | #564 |
| 1890 | 11 | #603 |
| 1889 | 15 | #482 |
| 1888 | 13 | #554 |
| 1887 | 16 | #420 |
| 1886 | 5 | #959 |
| 1885 | 13 | #521 |
| 1884 | 24 | #360 |
| 1883 | 19 | #402 |
| 1882 | 18 | #426 |
| 1881 | 8 | #653 |
| 1880 | 13 | #505 |
Names like Carey
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Roy, Charles, Thomas, Stanley, Peter, Robert, Harvey, James, Rodney, Sidney, William, Clyde
Names related to Carey
Sources
Figures from Baby names in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics), Babies' first names (National Records of Scotland), Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency) and Popular Baby Names (US Social Security Administration). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.
To cite this page: Nameling, “Carey: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/carey, updated 20 October 2026.