Unisex name · since 1941
Karey
Karey has 2,187 recorded births since 1941 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1975 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #4,435 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- 2,187
- born since 1941
- 1970s
- peak decade
Karey is not among the current top-ranked girls names; 2,187 have been recorded since 1941.
Karey has 2,187 recorded births among girls since 1941, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, though it falls outside today's most-used girls names, busiest in the 1970s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1941 to 2015.
- #4,435 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- 2,187 born since 1941
- 1970s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Karey ranks #4,435 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first). 2,187 born since 1941, peaking in the 1970s.
- #4,435 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- 2,187
- born since 1941
- 1970s
- peak decade
Karey's 2,187 recorded births place it above 93.86% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
16 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
Karey's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Karey's SSA record in two at 1976 and the more recent half accounts for 44% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 56%, a genuinely balanced usage pattern. Its calmest year was 1941, with only 5 births recorded -- set against the 1975 peak of 119, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Karey popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1941–2015
- Peak year (1975)
- 119
- Annual births at peak, across 75 years of records
Karey popularity over time - boys
584 total births recorded since 1937 (Karey as boys' name)
Karey by decade
1970s is the heaviest window (902 births, 41% of the file).
1970s was Karey's strongest decade.
902 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 41% of all-time use.
Karey births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1940s 34
1940s
34 births
- 1950s 195
1950s
195 births
- 1960s
1960s
454 births
- 1970s
1970s
902 births
- 1980s
1980s
379 births
- 1990s 176
1990s
176 births
- 2000s 42
2000s
42 births
- 2010s 5
2010s
5 births
What this shows Peak: 1970s at 902 births (41% of all-time use).
How Karey compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Karey's total volume
Karey by state
Where Karey concentrates geographically, total births since 1941
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 163 | 7.5% |
| #2 | Ohio | | 79 | 3.6% |
| #3 | Texas | | 64 | 2.9% |
| #4 | Illinois | | 48 | 2.2% |
| #5 | Michigan | | 43 | 2.0% |
| #6 | Pennsylvania | | 38 | 1.7% |
| #7 | New York | | 36 | 1.6% |
| #8 | Indiana | | 23 | 1.1% |
163 of 2,187 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 16 reporting states.
Karey appears in 16 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
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What to do with Karey's data
- Karey's decade-level peak was the 1970s (902 total births); usage has since declined to 5 in the 2010s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Kareys (163 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 Karey
Nearby Names Like Karey
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Karey
Compare Karey side by side: Karey vs Karen Karey vs Kara Karey vs Karla
Related Names
Names with a similar number of total births
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Karey: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1975)
Similar record span (~74 yrs)
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, 1941–2015 (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 Karey 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.