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.

#750 of 45,481
all-time among boys
#3,660 of 13,930
2025 SSA year
24,504
born since 1880
1960s
peak decade

24,504 babies have been named Cary since 1880, making it today's #3660 unisex name.

Social Security Administration records show Cary recorded 24,504 times among boys since 1880, holding rank #3660 nationally today, ahead of 74% 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.

  • #750 of 45,481 all-time among boys
  • #3,660 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
  • 24,504 born since 1880
  • 1960s peak decade

Data updated Aug 2026

The verdict

According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Cary ranks #750 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #3,660 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 24,504 born since 1880, peaking in the 1960s.

#750 of 45,481
all-time among boys
#3,660 of 13,930
2025 SSA year
24,504
born since 1880
1960s
peak decade
0%100%Median name50%73.7%
Cary vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
Upper archive tier
All-time archive position

Cary's 24,504 recorded births place it above 98.35% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.

47 jurisdictions
State-record footprint

47 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.

How Cary compares

24,504 Top 6% higher than 94% of 13,930 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 66x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.

Metric Cary Median boys name (Takari) #1 boys name (Liam)
All-time total births 24,504 369 358,536
Peak-year births 788 34 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 popularity over time - boys

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025

Outside the top 1,000
Peak year (1957)
788
Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
02004006008001,000 188018991918193719561975199420132025 30

Cary popularity over time - girls

5,323 total births recorded since 1882 (Cary as girls' name)

Unisex variant - 5,323 births
050100150200250 188219121927194219571972198720022024 5

Cary by decade

1960s is the heaviest window (7,047 births, 29% of the file).

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

births

What this shows Peak: 1960s at 7,047 births (29% of all-time use).

Source U.S. Social Security Administration · Baby Names As of August 2026

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 Scatter plot of 16 data points. 0%2%4%6%8%10%12% 406080100120140160 New & already peakedOld name, single-era peakNew & still diversifyingLong history, steady all along Years in SSA records % of total births in the single peak year -146, 3.3%-146, 4.2%-146, 1.8%-110, 1.9%-58, 6.2%-146, 3.3%-146, 6.4%-144, 3.3%-127, 10.3%-141, 3.4%-111, 2.7%-145, 7.9%-146, 1.7%-89, 4.4%-138, 4.3%Cary-146, 3.2%Cary
Cary vs 15 similarly-sized boys names

Cary by state

Where Cary concentrates geographically, total births since 1880

Geographically diffuse
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Cary
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. All-time, it sits at #750 of 45,481 boys' names by recorded births. In 2025, it ranks #3,660 of 13,930 among boys. The peak year was 1957 with 788 births.
Where does Cary sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Cary ranks #750 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #3,660 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. All-time ordinal matches browse popularity (total births DESC); the current ordinal uses the 2025 SSA file. See /methodology#corpus-placement.
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

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
#1132 504,827 births
Carlos Boy
#150 307,036 births
Carter Boy
#45 206,833 births
Carson Boy
#124 132,774 births
Carlton Boy
#2884 48,890 births

Compare Cary side by side: Cary vs Carl Cary vs Carlos Cary vs Carter

Or pick any two names to compare →

Related Names

Names with a similar popularity rank to Cary

Jimmie #3659
112,267 births · Peak 1934
Ivory #3661
8,568 births · Peak 1950
Gustav #3658
4,267 births · Peak 1917
Hilario #3662
4,681 births · Peak 1996
Ishvik #3657
31 births · Peak 2025
Mckinley #3663
9,786 births · Peak 1920
Nylo #3656
148 births · Peak 2024
Menno #3664
1,458 births · Peak 2021

Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span

Two nationwide peer axes for Cary: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.

Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.

Data Sources

Data as of August 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).

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 August 2026.