2000
#547
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 54,924
First available Census row
Per 100,000 20.36
Uncommon Last name
Carey
An anglicized form of the Irish surname "Ó Ciardha," meaning "descendant of Ciardha" (from "ciar" meaning "black" or "dark").
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 61,620 Americans carry the last name Carey. That puts it at #614 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 17.98 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 5,562 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Carey surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Carey with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
62K
1 in 5,562
Census rank
#614
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
18.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
54K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 53,736 bearers of the surname Carey in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 17.98 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 614th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Carey, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.8%. The next largest groups are Black (13.2%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Carey
The surname Carey is of Irish origin and derives from the Gaelic Ó Ciardha, meaning "descendant of Ciardhach." The name Ciardhach is believed to have been a personal name meaning "black" or "dark-featured." The name was first found in County Kilkenny, where the family was based for many centuries.
The Careys were a prominent Norman family who arrived in Ireland during the Anglo-Norman invasion in the 12th century. They settled in County Kilkenny and became one of the most influential families in the region. The earliest recorded instance of the name Carey appears in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1195, where it is spelled "Kari."
In the 14th century, the Careys of Croom Castle in County Limerick were notable members of the family. Sir John Carey, born around 1350, was Lord Deputy of Ireland from 1494 to 1495. His son, Sir Robert Carey, born in 1460, was a renowned soldier and served as Governor of Murvagh Castle.
The Domesday Book, a survey of England completed in 1086, does not mention the name Carey, likely because the family had not yet arrived in England from Normandy. However, the Hundred Rolls of 1273 record a Robert de Kari in Oxfordshire, an early spelling variation of the name.
One of the most famous Careys in history was Henry Carey, 1st Baron Hunsdon (1524-1596), who served as Lord Chamberlain to Queen Elizabeth I. He was a member of the Privy Council and a distinguished military leader during the Tudor period.
Another notable Carey was George Savile Carey (1743-1807), a British politician and writer who served as a Member of Parliament for several constituencies and held various government positions. He was also a prolific author and published works on history, politics, and philosophy.
In the United States, one of the earliest recorded Careys was John Carey, who arrived in Virginia in 1635. He is considered the progenitor of many prominent Carey families in America, including the Careys of Maryland and Massachusetts.
Overall, the surname Carey has a rich history rooted in Ireland, with branches of the family later spreading to England and beyond, contributing to various fields such as politics, military, and literature over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Carey
Among Census respondents with the surname Carey, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.8%. The next largest groups are Black (13.2%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Carey bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Carey surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White77.8% · 41,814
- Black or African American13.2% · 7,068
- Two or more races4.1% · 2,192
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 1,900
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 414
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 348
Timeline
Historical Census data for Carey
Carey appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#601
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 56,322
+1,398 bearers (+2.5%)
Per 100,000 19.09
Rank movement Down 54 places
2020
#614
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 53,736
-2,586 bearers (-4.6%)
Per 100,000 17.98
Rank movement Down 13 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #547 | 54,924 | 20.36 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #601 | 56,322 | 19.09 | +1,398 bearers (+2.5%) | Down 54 places |
| 2020 | #614 | 53,736 | 17.98 | -2,586 bearers (-4.6%) | Down 13 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Carey surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #601 | #614 | -2.2% |
| Count | 56,322 | 53,736 | -4.6% |
| Per 100K | 19.09 | 17.98 | -5.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Carey bearers went from 56,322 to 53,736 (-4.6% change). The surname moved down 13 positions in the national ranking, going from #601 to #614.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Carey
FAQ
Carey surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Carey?
Name Census estimates that about 61,620 living Americans carry the surname Carey. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 5,562 residents.
How common is Carey?
Carey ranks #614 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 17.98 per 100,000 residents, which is about 18 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 53,736 people with the surname Carey. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (61,620), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 17.98 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 17.98 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 18 of them to have the surname Carey.
Has Carey become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Carey went from 56,322 recorded bearers to 53,736. That is a decrease of 2,586 (-4.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #601 to #614.
What does the Census say about the background of Carey?
Among Census respondents with the surname Carey, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.8%. The next largest groups are Black (13.2%) and Two or More Races (4.1%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Carey in the 2020 Census, accounting for 77.8% (41,814 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Carey appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (77.8%), Black (13.2%), Two or More Races (4.1%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Carey (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Carey mean?
An anglicized form of the Irish surname "Ó Ciardha," meaning "descendant of Ciardha" (from "ciar" meaning "black" or "dark"). The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Carey (17.98 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many Americans have the surname Carey?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.