Carys

CA-riss (not Care-iss)

Welsh

"love"

Carys Origin and Meaning

The name Carys is a girl's name of Welsh origin meaning "love".

Light, pretty and distinctive in appearance, Carys is one of that sweet group of girl names with a loving meaning. A relatively modern name, it didn't come into use in its native Wales until the late nineteenth century, and even then, it wasn't a mainstream choice until the middle of the twentieth century.

These days, it is a familiar name in Wales and England, but it was only properly introduced to America when Welsh-born actress Catherine Zeta-Jones and husband Michael Douglas chose it for their daughter in 2003.It subsequently gained a brief spell of attention in the US but it has since fallen out of favor. In a recent year was given to less than 30 girls (compared to sound-alike Karis, chosen for nearly 90).

Even in England and Wales, Carys has fallen back to the latter half of the Top 1000 after its 2004 peak, when it ranked at #130. Nevertheless, it has some notable namesakes, including writers Carys Davies and Carys Bray, footballer Carys Hawkins, and neurosurgeon Carys Bannister — an early Carys born in 1935, and only the second woman in the UK to lead on brain surgery.

Derived from the Welsh element caru meaning "to love", blended with the -ys suffix of Gladys and Dilys, it is related to the ancient sounding Caradoc. Cerys is an alternative form, pronounced as KEH-riss.

Carys is NOT however linked to Charis, a Greek name meaning "grace, kindness" and pronounced as KA-REES.

Carys Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

# 667 on Nameberry

Popularity of the name Carys

• 667 Nameberry 2025
• 858 England 2024

20 Names Similar to Carys

These 20 names were selected by our users that were looking for other names like Carys.

• Eleni
• Maelle
• Maris
• Elin
• Leora
• Maeva
• Ilsa
• Aida
• Noémie
• Isa
• Selah
• Olena
• Arlette
• Ailsa
• Annora
• Este
• Adélaïde
• Alva
• Eline
• Liora

Famous People Named Carys

• Carys Davina "Tanni" Grey Thompson, Baroness Grey,Thompson, British MP and former wheelchair racer
• Carys Parry Welsh hammer thrower
• Carys Hawkins Welsh,born Australian football player
• Carys Margaret Bannister British neurosurgeon
• Carys Phillips Welsh rugby union player
• Carys Zeta Douglas (b. 2003) daughter of Catherine Zeta Jones and Michael Douglas

The name Carys in Pop Culture

• Carys Fox a character in Katie Khan's novel "Hold Back the Stars"
• Carys Last a character in Alice Osman’s novel “Radio Silence”