Holding steady.
Popularity of Carry since 1881
Babies named Carry per year in U.S. Social Security records. Raw births topped out in 1975, but relative to how few babies were recorded back then, Carry's real moment was 1884.
Data table (by decade)
| Decade | Girls | Boys |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 37 | 0 |
| 1890s | 80 | 5 |
| 1900s | 114 | 0 |
| 1910s | 176 | 6 |
| 1920s | 170 | 22 |
| 1930s | 92 | 5 |
| 1940s | 59 | 37 |
| 1950s | 73 | 61 |
| 1960s | 114 | 79 |
| 1970s | 232 | 46 |
| 1980s | 145 | 33 |
| 1990s | 54 | 6 |
| 2000s | 13 | 0 |
| 2010s | 0 | 0 |
| 2020s | 0 | 0 |
Meaning & origin
Carry is a name that saw its greatest popularity in the 1880s, with a peak in 1884, and has remained stable but rare ever since. It has never ranked in the top 1000 in modern U.S. data, and records show it was first recorded in 1881. The name is typically a respelling of Carrie or a variant of Caroline, giving it a 'free man' etymology. While it lacks top state associations, its sibling names like Bessie and Willie reflect the era of its early usage.
Carry is an English name that emerged as a variant of Carrie, itself a diminutive of Caroline (from Charles, ultimately from Germanic *karlaz meaning 'free man') or sometimes of Carol. Its use peaked in the 1880s in the United States, and it has seen stable but infrequent use since then.
Nicknames & variants
Sibling names for Carry
Names that share Carry's style, for a brother or sister.
