2000
#2,756
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,013
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.45
Uncommon Last name
Cary
Derived from various place names meaning "pleasant stream," or from a Welsh word meaning "love."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 12,562 Americans carry the last name Cary. That puts it at #3,212 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.67 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 27,285 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cary 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 Cary with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
13K
1 in 27,285
Census rank
#3,212
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
11K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 10,955 bearers of the surname Cary in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.67 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3212th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cary, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.2%. The next largest groups are Black (11.7%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cary
Among Census respondents with the surname Cary, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.2%. The next largest groups are Black (11.7%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Cary 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 Cary surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White79.2% · 8,677
- Black or African American11.7% · 1,287
- Two or more races4.5% · 492
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 359
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 72
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 68
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cary
Cary 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
#3,138
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,506
-507 bearers (-4.2%)
Per 100,000 3.90
Rank movement Down 382 places
2020
#3,212
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,955
-551 bearers (-4.8%)
Per 100,000 3.67
Rank movement Down 74 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,756 | 12,013 | 4.45 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,138 | 11,506 | 3.90 | -507 bearers (-4.2%) | Down 382 places |
| 2020 | #3,212 | 10,955 | 3.67 | -551 bearers (-4.8%) | Down 74 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 Cary 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 | #3,138 | #3,212 | -2.4% |
| Count | 11,506 | 10,955 | -4.8% |
| Per 100K | 3.90 | 3.67 | -6.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cary bearers went from 11,506 to 10,955 (-4.8% change). The surname moved down 74 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,138 to #3,212.
FAQ
Cary surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cary?
Name Census estimates that about 12,562 living Americans carry the surname Cary. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 27,285 residents.
How common is Cary?
Cary ranks #3,212 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.67 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 10,955 people with the surname Cary. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (12,562), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.67 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.67 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Cary.
Has Cary become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cary went from 11,506 recorded bearers to 10,955. That is a decrease of 551 (-4.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,138 to #3,212.
What does the Census say about the background of Cary?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cary, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.2%. The next largest groups are Black (11.7%) and Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Cary in the 2020 Census, accounting for 79.2% (8,677 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cary appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (79.2%), Black (11.7%), Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Cary (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 Cary mean?
Derived from various place names meaning "pleasant stream," or from a Welsh word meaning "love." 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 Cary (3.67 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 common is the surname Cary?
If you just want to know how many people are called Cary, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.