Carrey last name popularity, history, and meaning

Find out how popular the last name Carrey is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Carrey.

Meaning of Carrey

A French surname derived from the word "carrière" meaning a quarry or quarryman.

Carrey, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Carrey surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Carrey in America

Carrey is the 95115th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Carrey surname appeared 192 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Carrey.

We can also compare 2010 data for Carrey to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

20102000Change (%)
Rank951157593822.42%
Count192236-20.56%
Proportion per 100k0.070.09-25.00%

The history of the last name Carrey

The surname Carrey originates from France and is believed to have derived from the Old French word "quarré," meaning "quarry" or "stone pit." The name likely emerged during the Middle Ages, around the 11th or 12th century, as a occupational surname for someone who worked in a quarry or lived near one.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is spelled as "Quarrier." This reference suggests that the name was already in use in England by the time of the Norman Conquest in 1066.

In the 13th century, the name was found in various parts of England, including Yorkshire, where it was recorded as "de Quarraria" in the Hundred Rolls of 1273. This latinized form further reinforces the connection to the word "quarry."

As time passed, the surname underwent various spelling variations, including Quarry, Quarrie, Quarrey, and eventually Carrey. These changes likely occurred due to regional dialect differences and the evolution of language over time.

Notable individuals with the surname Carrey include:

  1. Sir John Carrey (c. 1520 - 1598), an English politician and landowner from Devon.
  2. Benjamin Carrey (1756 - 1835), an American Baptist minister and educator who founded the first Baptist seminary in the United States.
  3. James Carrey (born 1962), the acclaimed Canadian-American actor known for his comedic roles in films such as "Dumb and Dumber," "The Mask," and "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind."
  4. Molly Carrey (1907 - 1987), an American artist and illustrator known for her children's book illustrations and commercial artwork.
  5. William Carrey (1648 - 1720), an English navigator and explorer who surveyed the coasts of Australia and New Zealand in the late 17th century.

The surname Carrey has a rich history spanning centuries, originating from the French word for "quarry" and evolving through various spellings and regional variations. It has been borne by notable individuals in various fields, including politics, religion, art, and entertainment.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Carrey

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Carrey.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

  1. White only
  2. Black only
  3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
  4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
  5. Hispanic
  6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Carrey was:

Race/EthnicityPercentageTotal Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only75.00%144
Non-Hispanic Black Only12.50%24
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only(S)%(S)
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native(S)%(S)
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races3.13%6
Hispanic Origin5.21%10

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Carrey has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

20102000Change (%)
White75.00%75.00%0.00%
Black12.50%18.22%-37.24%
Asian and Pacific Islander(S)%(S)%(S)%
American Indian and Alaskan Native(S)%(S)%(S)%
Two or More Races3.13%(S)%(S)%
Hispanic5.21%2.54%68.90%

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Carrey was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Carrey, please contact us.

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