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
#264
1966 · 763 births
Debut · boys
1880
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#10,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201998peak #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 1998

girls
#5,583
18 births · 1 in 98,164 girls
boys
#1,406
81 births · 1 in 23,597 boys

Top girls' names in 1998

  1. #1Emily26,188
  2. #2Hannah21,376
  3. #3Samantha20,195
  4. #4Sarah19,898
  5. #5Ashley19,875
  6. #6Alexis19,778
  7. #7Taylor18,576
  8. #8Jessica18,239
  9. #9Madison17,787
  10. #10Elizabeth15,193
  11. #5,583Cary18

Top boys' names in 1998

  1. #1Michael36,618
  2. #2Jacob36,031
  3. #3Matthew31,146
  4. #4Joshua28,095
  5. #5Christopher27,007
  6. #6Nicholas26,632
  7. #7Brandon23,832
  8. #8Tyler23,712
  9. #9Andrew23,664
  10. #10Austin23,478
  11. #1,406Cary81
More about 1998

girls

1,766,949 girls got a published name in 1998; 1 in 98,164 of them was named Cary, which outranked 66.4% of the 16,601 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 11.2% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Cary
  1. #5,363Zada19
  2. #5,363Zarah19
  3. #5,363Zowie19
  4. #5,583Cary18
  5. #5,583Addy18
  6. #5,583Adi18
  7. #5,583Aeriana18
  8. #5,799Aalyiah17
  9. #5,799Abbegail17
  10. #5,799Abilene17

Tied with 215 names at #5,583; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1997
Risers
  1. ↑ 2,123Calista#2,820 → #697
  2. ↑ 1,165Ireland#1,983 → #818
  3. ↑ 1,158Abril#2,116 → #958
  4. ↑ 755Mya#993 → #238
  5. ↑ 619Ally#1,036 → #417
Fallers
  1. ↓ 586Yulissa#424 → #1,010
  2. ↓ 462Moesha#943 → #1,405
  3. ↓ 397Yulisa#985 → #1,382
  4. ↓ 376Tonya#905 → #1,281
  5. ↓ 347Xena#765 → #1,112

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

boys

1,911,366 boys got a published name in 1998; 1 in 23,597 of them was named Cary, which outranked 87.6% of the 11,311 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 14.7% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Cary
  1. #1,398Palmer82
  2. #1,398Santana82
  3. #1,398Terell82
  4. #1,406Cary81
  5. #1,406Cannon81
  6. #1,406Dajon81
  7. #1,406Eamon81
  8. #1,418Coltin80
  9. #1,418Damarcus80
  10. #1,418Dameon80

Tied with 11 names at #1,406; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1997
Risers
  1. ↑ 1,736Tyrese#2,347 → #611
  2. ↑ 805Zion#1,499 → #694
  3. ↑ 785Mekhi#1,706 → #921
  4. ↑ 743Tyriq#1,519 → #776
  5. ↑ 741Tavian#1,599 → #858
Fallers
  1. ↓ 429Coty#918 → #1,347
  2. ↓ 367Anfernee#838 → #1,205
  3. ↓ 326Jessy#962 → #1,288
  4. ↓ 295Mickey#966 → #1,261
  5. ↓ 280Mikal#1,000 → #1,280

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

See the top 100 for 1998 →