Show ContentsCarré History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The Irish name Carré originally appeared in Gaelic as Ó Ciardha. 1 However, "Carey" and its spelling variations have also been used as the Anglicized forms of six other Irish patronymics: Ó Ceinin, Ó Ciarain, Mac Giolla Ceire, Ó Carra, Mac Giolla Chathair, and the nearly-extinct MacFhiachra.

Early Origins of the Carré family

The surname Carré was first found in the county of Kilkenny (Irish: Cill Chainnigh), the former Kingdom of Osraige (Ossory), located in Southeastern Ireland in the province of Leinster. Today Cary is a barony in County Antrim, Northern Ireland.

Early History of the Carré family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Carré research. Another 174 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1172, 1300, 1620, 1761, 1784 and 1834 are included under the topic Early Carré History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Carré Spelling Variations

Those scribes in Ireland during the Middle Ages recorded names as they sounded. Consequently, in this era many people were recorded under different spellings each time their name was written down. Research on the Carré family name revealed numerous spelling variations, including Carrie, Carry, Carre, Carie, Carrey, MacCarry, MacHarry, MacHarris, O'Carey, Cary, M'Carrie, Kearey, Kearrie, Keerie, Keery, Keerey, M'Harrie, M'Harry, M'Hary, M'Harie and many more.

Early Notables of the Carré family

Notable amongst the family name at this time was Patrick Carrie, notable Irish patriot. Also, three famous brothers of the Carey name, John Carey, the inventor of the distress rocket for ships, went to London and taught school, becoming a most prolific writer, writing over 50 classics, including short stories and poems. The next brother, William, a painter and engraver, stayed in Dublin...
Another 63 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Carré Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Carré Ranking

In France, the name Carré is the 142nd most popular surname with an estimated 21,664 people with that name. 2


United States Carré migration to the United States +

A massive amount of Ireland's native population left the island in the 19th century for North America and Australia in hopes of finding more opportunities and an escape from discrimination and oppression. A great portion of these migrants arrived on the eastern shores of the North American continent. Although they were generally poor and destitute, and, therefore, again discriminated against, these Irish people were heartily welcomed for the hard labor involved in the construction of railroads, canals, roadways, and buildings. Many others were put to work in the newly established factories or agricultural projects that were so essential to the development of what would become two of the wealthiest nations in the world. The Great Potato Famine during the late 1840s initiated the largest wave of Iris immigration. Early North American immigration and passenger lists have revealed a number of people bearing the name Carré or a variant listed above:

Carré Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Walter Carre, who landed in Maryland in 1651 3
  • Susanna Carre, who landed in Maryland in 1667 3
  • Grace Carre, who arrived in Maryland in 1667 3
  • Thomas Carre, who arrived in Maryland in 1668-1670 3
  • William Carre, who landed in Maryland in 1673 3
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Carré Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Francis Carre, who landed in Virginia in 1714 3

Canada Carré migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Carré Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • Mr. Henry Carre U.E. who settled in Saint John, New Brunswick c. 1783 4
  • Mr. William Carre U.E. who settled in Saint John, New Brunswick c. 1783 4

Contemporary Notables of the name Carré (post 1700) +

  • Juliette Carré (1933-2023), French actress and comedienne
  • Ferdinand Philippe Edouard Carré (1824-1900), French engineer, best known as the inventor of refrigeration equipment used to produce ice
  • Olivier Carré (b. 1961), French politician, member of the National Assembly of France
  • Marguerite Carré (1880-1947), French soprano
  • Isabelle Carré (b. 1971), French César Award for Best Actress winning actress
  • Albert Carré (1852-1938), French theatre director, opera director, actor and librettist
  • John le Carré (b. 1931), pen name of David John Moore Cornwell, British author of espionage novels, probably best known for his third novel The Spy Who Came in from the Cold (1963)
  • Michel Carré (1865-1945), French actor, stage director and film director, son of Michel Carré, the librettist
  • Michel Carré (1821-1872), French librettist
  • Major-General James Carre Magee (1883-1975), American Surgeon-General of the Army (1939-1943) 5


  1. MacLysaght, Edward, The Surnames of Ireland. Ireland: Irish Academic Press, sixth edition, 1985. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2366-3)
  2. http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
  3. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  4. Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
  5. Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2012, April 11) James Magee. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Magee/James_Carre/USA.html


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