Cary

Cary Grant's debonair image has stood the test of time: he is still rated as one of the most handsome and admired men in Hollywood. Charming, succinct, and witty, Cary (also spelled Carey) was a familiar choice throughout most of the 20th-century, peaking in the 50s and 60s when it made the Top 300. Out of favor since the 90s, could Cary be ready for reconsideration, now that Kerry and Carrie aren't as popular for girls?

Usually considered an anglicized form of the Irish surname Ó Ciardha, the name ultimately comes from ciar meaning "black". Other sources occasionally link it to the Welsh Carew, meaning "fort on the hill", to the Irish mac Fiachra meaning "descendant of the crow", to the Byronic karɨd meaning "to love", or to the German Gehring, meaning "spear".

As of October 2026, Cary ranked #3676 in US births in 2025 SSA, peaked at #264 in 1966, Nameberry popularity #817.