2000
#75,938
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 236
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.09
Very Rare Last name
Carrey
A French surname derived from the word "carrière" meaning a quarry or quarryman.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 236 Americans carry the last name Carrey. That puts it at #95,069 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.07 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,452,349 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Carrey 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 Carrey with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
236
1 in 1,452,349
Census rank
#95,069
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
206
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 206 bearers of the surname Carrey in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.07 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 95069th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Carrey, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.7%. The next largest groups are Black (11.2%) and Two or More Races (4.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Carrey
Among Census respondents with the surname Carrey, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.7%. The next largest groups are Black (11.2%) and Two or More Races (4.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Carrey 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 Carrey surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White76.7% · 158
- Black or African American11.2% · 23
- Two or more races4.9% · 10
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 8
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.4% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Carrey
Carrey 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
#95,115
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 192
-44 bearers (-18.6%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Down 19,177 places
2020
#95,069
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 206
+14 bearers (+7.3%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Up 46 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #75,938 | 236 | 0.09 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #95,115 | 192 | 0.07 | -44 bearers (-18.6%) | Down 19,177 places |
| 2020 | #95,069 | 206 | 0.07 | +14 bearers (+7.3%) | Up 46 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 Carrey 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 | #95,115 | #95,069 | 0.0% |
| Count | 192 | 206 | 7.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.07 | 0.07 | -1.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Carrey bearers went from 192 to 206 (+7.3% change). The surname moved up 46 positions in the national ranking, going from #95,115 to #95,069.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Carrey
FAQ
Carrey surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Carrey?
Name Census estimates that about 236 living Americans carry the surname Carrey. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,452,349 residents.
How common is Carrey?
Carrey ranks #95,069 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.07 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 206 people with the surname Carrey. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (236), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.07 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.07 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Carrey.
Has Carrey become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Carrey went from 192 recorded bearers to 206. That is an increase of 14 (+7.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #95,115 to #95,069.
What does the Census say about the background of Carrey?
Among Census respondents with the surname Carrey, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.7%. The next largest groups are Black (11.2%) and Two or More Races (4.9%). 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 Carrey in the 2020 Census, accounting for 76.7% (158 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Carrey appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (76.7%), Black (11.2%), Two or More Races (4.9%). 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 Carrey (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 Carrey mean?
A French surname derived from the word "carrière" meaning a quarry or quarryman. 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 Carrey (0.07 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 people have the surname Carrey?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.