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Origin & history of Cary1
Welsh / Celtic roots
Cary comes from a Welsh place name meaning pleasant stream or from the Welsh caru meaning to love. The name is most famously associated with actor Cary Grant, who chose it as his stage name in the 1930s and made it iconic. Cary was particularly popular as a masculine American given name in the 1950s and 60s, riding the wave of the Grant film career. While the related Carey is more often feminine, Cary remains predominantly a masculine name with a Hollywood-era polish.
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Root name
The root form of Cary is
Carey — meaning Pleasant stream; love.
3
Modern usage
Cary remains a beloved choice. Timeless appeal across cultures and generations.
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How popular is Cary?
1957
peak year
Today, Cary is a less common but recognizable name in U.S. records (ranked #3,682) with about 32 babies named Cary each year. But it wasn't always this way. At its height in 1957, Cary reached #268 nationally — 788 babies received it that single year. Its strongest stretch was the 1950s. Cary's usage has held roughly steady recently. In all, around 29,795 babies have been registered as Cary since 1880.
Year-by-year registrations
1880–2024 · U.S. Social Security data
788
Babies named in peak year
(ranked #268)
(ranked #268)
32
Avg. per year
(last decade)
(last decade)
320
Total registrations
last 10 years
last 10 years
29,795
All-time total
(since 1880)
(since 1880)
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Numerology of Cary2
Life path number
The Peacemaker
Diplomacy, harmony and deep empathy.
🕊️Peacemaker
💖Empathetic
🎵Artistic
🤝Team player
C3
A1
R9
Y7
Sum: 20 → Life path 2
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Personality of Cary🕊️
Peaceful
They bring calm to every room.
💞
Deeply loving
Their love runs deep and steady.
🎭
Intuitive
They read people with extraordinary accuracy.
🎵
Artistic soul
Beauty speaks to them powerfully.
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Names that sound like CaryIf you love Cary, you might love these names with a similar sound, rhythm or feel.
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Names that combine with CarySibling pairings that share the timeless, classic energy of Cary.
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Middle names for CaryThe right middle name turns Cary into a complete story. Explore options for first-and-middle pairings, then last-name flow.
Want a personalised middle name for Cary? Try our dedicated generator with 1,000+ pairings.
♡ Generate middle name for Cary →✦
Numerology life path calculatorEnter any full name and date of birth to discover the life path number — a core numerological indicator of personality, purpose and destiny.
First name
Middle name (optional)
Last name
Date of birth
7
Life path number
How we calculated this
Cary is a beautiful choice.
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