Cary

Last seen for girls in 2024 at #15,293 · #3,658 for boys in 2025, 30 births
Given to boys 82.2% of the time

Showing
Show data for
Peak · boys
1966 · 763 births
Debut · boys
17 births
In top 100 · boys
never
of 146 years
Total births · boys
24,504
since 1880

Cary over time

girlsboys

Rank within each sex, plotted together. Click any year to open it.

#1#10#100#1,000#10,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201947peak #722, 1975peak #264, 1966girlsboys
Hover or use arrow keys to read values by year; click or press Enter to open that year.

Gaps mean fewer than 5 babies received the name that year, so the SSA doesn't publish it.

Show data table
Yeargirlsboys
rankbirthsrankbirths
2025#3,65830
2024#15,2935#3,52432
2023#4,45623
2022#3,21637
2021#3,91227
2020#3,91826
2019#2,94341
2018#15,6825#4,47622
2017#15,9025#3,51831
2016#3,23035
2015#3,43132
2014#13,0697#4,53821
2013#14,5826#4,31322
2012#16,8695#3,71428
2011#11,1819#3,60529
2010#13,4487#4,09924
2009#13,7047#4,03525
2008#13,8327#3,28634
2007#12,6768#3,18835
2006#3,68627
2005#7,89114#3,31930
2004#9,26411#2,95334
2003#2,57939
2002#11,1088#2,75534
2001#7,72413#2,11749
2000#5,70519#1,94453
1999#6,19116#2,02347
1998#5,58318#1,40681
1997#4,50823#1,36681
1996#3,94227#1,53365
1995#4,51822#1,24487
1994#4,23824#1,096105
1993#4,10025#1,038113
1992#3,50331#961125
1991#3,20734#882143
1990#2,52347#812157
1989#2,44247#751172
1988#2,59741#746161
1987#2,53140#682177
1986#2,26545#665182
1985#1,76064#625197
1984#1,68465#643179
1983#1,42382#682157
1982#1,55176#653177
1981#1,30497#628186
1980#1,43385#626195
1979#1,261101#609198
1978#1,037131#547231
1977#872165#495270
1976#780183#430325
1975#722204#405360
1974#779177#459306
1973#842154#396385
1972#837156#388411
1971#781186#336543
1970#864155#331570
1969#936129#304622
1968#927125#287663
1967#973110#290629
1966#1,27372#264763
1965#1,21878#286689
1964#1,29374#282749
1963#973119#279764
1962#1,043107#275784
1961#983121#315624
1960#987118#286760
1959#929127#283779
1958#911127#315583
1957#970114#268788
1956#893125#315556
1955#1,10681#335490
1954#1,18072#317510
1953#1,12175#342407
1952#1,35151#324462
1951#1,46241#327442
1950#1,45240#323443
1949#1,39344#325447
1948#1,59834#319436
1947#1,63334#362357
1946#1,61730#370305
1945#1,82521#387237
1944#1,69824#381248
1943#1,55629#380261
1942#1,98119#425207
1941#2,66811#443175
1940#1,74521#501134
1939#1,73120#58197
1938#2,11315#59099
1937#3,1468#70073
1936#1,59322#65380
1935#2,09515#79061
1934#2,42412#82258
1933#2,16114#83455
1932#2,13015#1,00443
1931#3,2268#95947
1930#2,69011#91553
1929#2,43713#1,02644
1928#2,62312#1,04144
1927#2,02619#92455
1926#3,2699#1,09242
1925#2,01819#93352
1924#2,30816#90759
1923#2,16917#88259
1922#2,61213#89160
1921#2,76212#77275
1920#2,73112#87761
1919#1,80121#87757
1918#1,80521#94350
1917#2,31614#85556
1916#2,24614#98442
1915#2,38412#84653
1914#2,26510#98632
1913#1,88311#93028
1912#1,62012#1,02320
1911#68921
1910#1,7738#59823
1909#2,2085#53024
1908#2,1015#74413
1907#1,8216#69914
1906#59016
1905#1,4208#66613
1904#1,8775#68612
1903#1,02712#7839
1902#65112
1901#68310
1900#1,9325#74312
1899#7868
1898#1,7005#70110
1897#1,3856#65211
1896#42421
1895#1,4266#64011
1894#46418
1893#1,2776#45916
1892#64111
1891#7008
1890#1,0997#6679
1889#1,2795#58111
1888#48416
1887#6319
1886#51213
1885#43917
1884#6639
1883#59710
1882#7407#51413
1881#50312
1880#42517
First appearance
1880

In the first year the SSA published name data, Cary was already there! It came in at #425, and was given to 17 baby boys.


Quietest stretch: 1889–1892, when fewer than 12 boys a year got the name.

See more about Cary
Momentum · boys
Holding steady
  • 134 spots since 2024 (#3,524#3,658)
  • 260 spots since 2020 (#3,918#3,658)
  • 227 spots since 2015 (#3,431#3,658)
  • Biggest jump: 224 spots in 1885 (#663#439)
  • Biggest drop: 334 spots in 1912 (#689#1,023)
Rise & fade · boys
86 yrs to peak
  • Debuted 1880
  • Peaked 1966 at #264 (763 births)
  • Births halved by 1974, 8 yrs later
Top of the charts · boys
Top 1,000 for 108 yrs
  • Top 10: never
  • Top 100: never
  • Top 1,000: 108 yrs · run 1933–1992
Share of babies · boys
1 in 2,337
  • Highest: 1 in 2,337 boys born in 1966 were named Cary (0.04%)
  • Latest: 1 in 56,936 boys born in 2025 (0.00%)
Era · boys
The 1960s
  • 28.8% of all boys named Cary (7,047) were born in this decade
Girls or boys?
Flipped in 1904
  • Mostly girls until 1903, mostly boys since
all girlsall boys
Show by decade
DecadeBirthsBest rankAvg rank
1880s127#425 (1880)#535
1890s123#424 (1896)#613
1900s135#530 (1909)#678
1910s382#598 (1910)#873
1920s551#772 (1921)#935
1930s666#581 (1939)#785
1940s2,807#319 (1948)#389
1950s5,460#268 (1957)#315
1960s7,047#264 (1966)#287
1970s3,599#331 (1970)#440
1980s1,783#625 (1985)#670
1990s1,004#812 (1990)#1,236
2000s360#1,944 (2000)#2,986
2010s285#2,943 (2019)#3,787
2020s175#3,216 (2022)#3,781

All figures count published births only (names given to at least 5 boys in a year). Registrations before 1937 are incomplete, so early shares and totals run low.

Cary in 1947

girls
#1,633
34 births · 1 in 52,140 girls
boys
#362
357 births · 1 in 5,125 boys

Top girls' names in 1947

  1. #1Linda99,692
  2. #2Mary71,690
  3. #3Patricia51,278
  4. #4Barbara48,800
  5. #5Sandra34,779
  6. #6Carol33,543
  7. #7Nancy32,445
  8. #8Susan31,952
  9. #9Sharon28,533
  10. #10Donna23,517
  11. #1,633Cary34

Top boys' names in 1947

  1. #1James94,767
  2. #2Robert91,655
  3. #3John88,324
  4. #4William67,002
  5. #5Richard58,532
  6. #6David57,810
  7. #7Michael50,506
  8. #8Thomas44,842
  9. #9Charles40,781
  10. #10Larry34,946
  11. #362Cary357
More about 1947

girls

1,772,766 girls got a published name in 1947; 1 in 52,140 of them was named Cary, which outranked 73.2% of the 6,104 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 25.7% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Cary
  1. #1,602Tricia35
  2. #1,602Valentina35
  3. #1,602Veola35
  4. #1,633Cary34
  5. #1,633Adelia34
  6. #1,633Alexandria34
  7. #1,633Ardella34
  8. #1,661Betti33
  9. #1,661Bettylou33
  10. #1,661Ceola33

Tied with 27 names at #1,633; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1946
Risers
  1. 417Michaele#1,276#859
  2. 385Carlotta#997#612
  3. 332Ricki#1,290#958
  4. 300Daria#1,220#920
  5. 290Ivy#1,087#797
Fallers
  1. 341Merlene#961#1,302
  2. 285Beatriz#985#1,270
  3. 276Ruthanne#874#1,150
  4. 253Estela#897#1,150
  5. 242Verla#885#1,127

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

boys

1,829,599 boys got a published name in 1947; 1 in 5,125 of them was named Cary, which outranked 91.5% of the 4,266 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 34.4% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Cary
  1. #358Royce361
  2. #360Cleveland360
  3. #360Guadalupe360
  4. #362Cary357
  5. #363Chuck356
  6. #363Rene356
  7. #365Alfonso354
Biggest movers since 1946
Risers
  1. 1,271Brock#2,271#1,000
  2. 586Shawn#1,509#923
  3. 500Jed#1,475#975
  4. 358Jody#935#577
  5. 355Deryl#1,355#1,000
Fallers
  1. 497Hurley#952#1,449
  2. 393Prentice#878#1,271
  3. 362Darvin#935#1,297
  4. 310Lary#826#1,136
  5. 303Judith#856#1,159

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

See the top 100 for 1947