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

Cary, 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 Cary surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Cary in America

Cary is the 3138th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Cary surname appeared 11,506 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 4 people would have the surname Cary.

We can also compare 2010 data for Cary 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.

The history of the last name Cary

The surname Cary originated in England and dates back to the 13th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old English words "caru" or "caru-weg," meaning "a winding path" or "a rough way." This suggests that the name may have referred to someone who lived near a winding road or path.

Cary is also thought to be a locational surname, meaning it was taken from a place name. One possibility is that it came from the village of Cary in Somerset, which was recorded as "Cari" in the Domesday Book of 1086. This was a survey of lands and properties commissioned by William the Conqueror.

The first recorded instance of the surname Cary appears in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, where a John de Cary is mentioned. This suggests that the name was well-established by the 13th century.

In the 14th century, Sir John Cary was a prominent figure who served as a Member of Parliament for Somerset in 1339. He was also a Knight of the Shire and served in the retinue of Edward III during the Hundred Years' War.

Another notable individual with the surname Cary was Sir Robert Cary (1572-1639), who was an English courtier and diplomat during the reigns of Elizabeth I and James I. He played a role in the Gunpowder Plot of 1605 and was later appointed as a Gentleman of the Privy Chamber.

In the literary world, Henry Cary (1772-1844) was a renowned translator best known for his English translation of Dante's Divine Comedy, which was widely acclaimed for its accuracy and poetic style.

Lucius Cary, 2nd Viscount Falkland (1610-1643), was a prominent figure in the English Civil War. He fought on the side of the Royalists and was killed in the Battle of Newbury in 1643.

Another notable individual was Annie Louise Cary (1842-1921), an American opera singer who achieved great success in her career, performing in concerts and operas across the United States and Europe.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Cary

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

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 Cary was:

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 Cary has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

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 Cary was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!