How Many People Are Named Carey?
An estimated 23,037 people in the United States have the first name Carey. It is used for both genders, with 57.0% male. The average bearer is 54 years old, and Carey peaked in popularity in 1975 with 1,058 births that year.
Below you will find a full statistical profile of Carey as a first name in the United States, including gender data, a year-by-year popularity timeline going back to 1880, a decade breakdown, state-by-state birth registrations, and, when available, a 2020 Census snapshot showing who had the name at that point in time. You can also check how many people share the full name Carey paired with any surname.
Key Insights
- Carey is a genuinely unisex name, given to both boys and girls in roughly equal numbers.
Estimated Living Americans
23,037
About 1 in 14,878 people in the U.S.
Rarity
Uncommon
Predicted Gender
Male
57.0% confidence
Average Age
54
years old
Peak Year
1975
1,058 births
Total Registered
29,607
since 1880
Gender Distribution for Carey
Carey is a genuinely unisex name, used for both males (57.0%) and females (43.0%). Out of 29,607 total births registered, 16,865 were male and 12,742 were female.
Carey as a male name
Ranked #5,258 in 2024
18 male births in 2024
Peak: 1957 (461 births)
Carey as a female name
Ranked #15,686 in 2024
5 female births in 2024
Peak: 1975 (756 births)
Carey in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 22,072 people with the first name Carey, which placed it at #1,505 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name in 2020. The estimated living count elsewhere on this page is different: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two figures are not expected to match exactly.
Read this section as a snapshot of people who already had the name in 2020. The SSA charts elsewhere on this page are still the better way to see how the name rose, fell, or shifted across generations.
Gender in the 2020 Census
In the 2020 Census, Carey was recorded as predominantly female. Out of 22,072 people with this name in that snapshot, 49.1% were male and 50.9% were female. That is less heavily female than the long-run SSA birth pattern on this page, which sits at 57.0% male.
Census Count
22,072
people with this name
Census Rank
#1,505
among Census first names
Frequency Rate
7.31
per 100,000 people
Recorded Race and Hispanic Origin in the 2020 Census
In the 2020 Census, the first name Carey was most commonly recorded among people who identified as White (80.84%). The next largest recorded groups were Black (11.33%) and Two or More Races (3.11%).
These percentages describe the people who had the first name Carey in the 2020 Census. They do not tell you the deeper meaning or origin of the name itself.
2020 Census demographic breakdown
Each row shows a recorded Census category for people with the first name Carey.
| Group | Share | Count |
|---|---|---|
| White | 80.84% | 17,842 |
| Black | 11.33% | 2,501 |
| Two or More Races | 3.11% | 686 |
| Hispanic | 2.29% | 505 |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 1.69% | 374 |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.73% | 162 |
The Census published separate sex and race/origin tables for first names, so their total counts can differ slightly for the same name. That is why the race section focuses on the demographic mix rather than repeating a second headline count.
Carey: Popularity Over Time
SSA records for Carey span from the 1880s to the 2020s, covering 15 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 1970s, when 8,371 babies were registered. Carey has declined significantly from its peak in the 1970s. Recent registrations are a fraction of what they were at the name's height.
Carey by Decade
How has Carey tracked across different eras? The table below groups all SSA birth registrations into 10-year periods, with separate male and female counts. The colored bar shows each decade's share relative to the peak.
| Decade | Total | Male | Female | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 150 | 144 | 6 | |
| 1890s | 168 | 151 | 17 | |
| 1900s | 175 | 157 | 18 | |
| 1910s | 617 | 520 | 97 | |
| 1920s | 824 | 705 | 119 | |
| 1930s | 931 | 787 | 144 | |
| 1940s | 1,855 | 1,559 | 296 | |
| 1950s | 4,831 | 3,649 | 1,182 | |
| 1960s | 5,347 | 3,288 | 2,059 | |
| 1970s | 8,371 | 2,766 | 5,605 | |
| 1980s | 3,630 | 1,604 | 2,026 | |
| 1990s | 1,683 | 887 | 796 | |
| 2000s | 597 | 351 | 246 | |
| 2010s | 338 | 237 | 101 | |
| 2020s | 90 | 60 | 30 | |
Carey by State
Birth registrations for Carey span all 45 states and territories in the SSA database. The highest counts are in California, Texas, Georgia. The lowest are in South Dakota, New Hampshire, Hawaii. On average, about 476 Careys were registered per state.
Carey + Last Name Combinations
How many people share a full name with Carey as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Names Similar to Carey
Other first names starting with C with a similar number of bearers.
Carey: Questions and Answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Carey?
We estimate approximately 23,037 people named Carey are alive in the United States today. This is based on SSA birth records from 1880 to 2024, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables. About 1 in 14,878 Americans share this first name.
Is Carey a common name?
Carey is classified as "Uncommon" and is more popular than 98.6% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 29,607 births have been registered with this name since 1880.
When was Carey most popular?
Carey reached peak popularity in 1975, when 1,058 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Carey is approximately 54 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.
How common was Carey in the 2020 Census?
The 2020 Census recorded 22,072 people with the first name Carey. That placed it at #1,505 in the published Census first-name tables, or 7.31 people per 100,000.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census number is a count of people with the name in 2020. The living estimate is a current model based on SSA birth records and survival rates, so it aims to estimate how many people with the name are alive now.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The popularity chart tracks birth registrations, not people currently alive. It shows how often Carey was given to babies from 1880 through 2024, which is why it is the best tool on the page for seeing long-run naming trends.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Carey?
In the 2020 Census snapshot, Carey was recorded as predominantly female. The published split was 49.1% male and 50.9% female.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Carey?
In the 2020 Census, the first name Carey was most commonly recorded among people who identified as White (80.84%). The next largest recorded groups were Black (11.33%) and Two or More Races (3.11%). These percentages describe the people who had the name in the 2020 Census, not the deeper meaning or origin of the name itself.
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census published separate first-name tables for sex and for race and Hispanic origin. Those totals can differ slightly for the same name, so the page uses them as two related snapshots rather than treating them as perfectly interchangeable counts.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name tables only include names that met the Bureau's publication rules. That means some names on this site will have SSA history but no published Census demographic snapshot.
Is Carey a male name?
Carey is predominantly male. 57.0% of people with this name are male. See the gender breakdown above for full details.
Why can Carey have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because a name can build up a large population over many decades. Carey peaked in 1975, and the average living bearer is about 54 years old, so a name can still have millions of living bearers even after it stops feeling current for newborns.
How many Carey Smiths are there?
To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Carey Smith, Carey Johnson, Carey Williams. You can also search any combination on our homepage.
Where does this data come from?
Our estimates use Social Security Administration birth records (1880 to 2024), adjusted for survival using CDC 2023 life tables broken down by sex. The U.S. population figure (342,754,338) is from the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimate. Full methodology.
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