Total births
24,504
Unisex name · since 1880
Cary
24,504 babies named Cary in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1957. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #3525
- among boys today
- 24,504
- born since 1880
- 1960s
- peak decade
- 75%
- more common than other boys
24,504 babies have been named Cary since 1880, making it today's #3525 unisex name.
Social Security Administration records show Cary recorded 24,504 times among boys since 1880, holding rank #3525 nationally today, ahead of 75% of boys, peaking in the 1960s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #3525 among boys today
- 24,504 born since 1880
- 1960s peak decade
- 75% more common than other boys
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Cary is currently the #3525 unisex name in America, more common than 75% of boys - 24,504 born since 1880, peaking in the 1960s.
- #3525
- among boys today
- 24,504
- born since 1880
- 1960s
- peak decade
- 75%
- more common than other boys
Cary vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
#3525
of 14,294 boys in use
More common than 75% of names given to boys today.
1960s
Peak decade
29% of everyone ever named Cary was born in this single decade.
1957
Single peak year
788 babies were named Cary in 1957 - its busiest year on record.
How Cary compares
24,504 Top 5% higher than 95% of 14,294 names currently given to boys
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Cary's all-time total is 67x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Cary | Median boys name (Elchonon) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 24,504 | 367 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 788 | 23 | 22,252 |
Cary's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Cary's full recorded timeline at 1953, 75% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 25% in the earlier half -- usage has skewed toward the present, not a one-decade spike. Its quietest year on record was 1891, with just 8 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1957 peak of 788 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Cary at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1957
Current rank
#3,525
Active since
1880
Cary popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1957)
- 788
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Cary popularity over time - girls
5,323 total births recorded since 1882 (Cary as girls' name)
Cary by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1960s was Cary's strongest decade.
7,047 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 29% of all-time use.
Cary births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 127
1880s
127 births
- 1890s 123
1890s
123 births
- 1900s 135
1900s
135 births
- 1910s 382
1910s
382 births
- 1920s 551
1920s
551 births
- 1930s 666
1930s
666 births
- 1940s 2,807
1940s
2,807 births
- 1950s
1950s
5,460 births
- 1960s
1960s
7,047 births
- 1970s
1970s
3,599 births
- 1980s 1,783
1980s
1,783 births
- 1990s 1,004
1990s
1,004 births
- 2000s 360
2000s
360 births
- 2010s 285
2010s
285 births
- 2020s 175
2020s
175 births
What this shows Peak: 1960s at 7,047 births (29% of all-time use).
How Cary compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to Cary's total volume
Cary vs 15 similarly-sized boys names
Cary by state
Where Cary concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 2,530 | 10.3% |
| #2 | Texas | | 2,066 | 8.4% |
| #3 | Illinois | | 1,423 | 5.8% |
| #4 | New York | | 1,213 | 5.0% |
| #5 | Michigan | | 871 | 3.6% |
| #6 | Georgia | | 853 | 3.5% |
| #7 | Ohio | | 793 | 3.2% |
| #8 | Indiana | | 722 | 2.9% |
California share of Cary's total US births 10.3%
Even split
2,530 of 24,504 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 47 reporting states.
Cary appears in 47 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Cary? ▼
24,504 babies have been named Cary since 1880. It currently ranks #3525 among boys. The peak year was 1957 with 788 births.
When was Cary most popular? ▼
Cary was most popular in the 1960s decade with 7,047 total births. The single peak year was 1957.
Where is Cary most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Cary are California (2,530 births), Texas (2,066 births), Illinois (1,423 births).
Is Cary a unisex name? ▼
Yes, Cary is used for both boys and girls. As a boy's name it has 24,504 births, and as a girl's name it has 5,323 births.
How long has the name Cary been used? ▼
Records for Cary go back to 1880, giving 146 years of history through 2025.
What names are similar to Cary? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Carl, Carlos, Carter, Carson, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.
What to do with Cary's data
- Cary's decade-level peak was the 1960s (7,047 total births); usage has since declined to 175 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Carys (2,530 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Cary
Nearby Names Like Cary
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Cary
Carl Boy
#1031 504,827 births
Carlos Boy
#135 307,036 births
Carter Boy
#46 206,833 births
Carson Boy
#124 132,774 births
Carlton Boy
#2791 48,890 births
Compare Cary side by side: Cary vs Carl Cary vs Carlos Cary vs Carter
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Cary
Data Sources
Data as of June 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Cary: #3525 Unisex Name - 24,504 Births, Peak 1957." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/cary. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Cary draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.