Carey History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms 

Origins Available: 
  England 
  Ireland 


The Irish name Carey 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 Carey family

The surname Carey 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 Carey family

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

Carey Spelling Variations

Within the archives researched, many different spelling variations of the surname Carey were found. These included One reason for the many variations is that scribes and church officials often spelled an individual's name as it sounded. This imprecise method often led to many versions. 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 Carey family

Notable amongst the family name at this time was

Carey World Ranking

In the United States, the name Carey is the 627th most popular surname with an estimated 47,253 people with that name. 2 However, in Canada, the name Carey is ranked the 979th most popular surname with an estimated 5,513 people with that name. 3 And in Newfoundland, Canada, the name Carey is the 674th popular surname with an estimated 65 people with that name. 4 Australia ranks Carey as 388th with 9,529 people. 5 New Zealand ranks Carey as 557th with 1,264 people. 6 The United Kingdom ranks Carey as 542nd with 11,962 people. 7


Carey migration to the United States +

To escape the religious and political discrimination they experienced primarily at the hands of the English, thousands of Irish left their homeland in the 19th century. These migrants typically settled in communities throughout the East Coast of North America, but also joined the wagon trains moving out to the Midwest. Ironically, when the American War of Independence began, many Irish settlers took the side of England, and at the war's conclusion moved north to Canada. These United Empire Loyalists, were granted land along the St. Lawrence River and the Niagara Peninsula. Other Irish immigrants settled in Newfoundland, the Ottawa Valley, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. The greatest influx of Irish immigrants, however, came to North America during the Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s. Thousands left Ireland at this time for North America and Australia. Many of those numbers, however, did not live through the long sea passage. These Irish settlers to North America were immediately put to work building railroads, coal mines, bridges, and canals. Irish settlers made an inestimable contribution to the building of the New World. Early North American immigration records have revealed a number of people bearing the Irish name Carey or a variant listed above, including:

Carey Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
Carey Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
Carey Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Carey migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Carey Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
Carey Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Carey migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Carey Settlers in Australia in the 18th Century
Carey Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Carey migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Carey Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Carey migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 17
Carey Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Contemporary Notables of the name Carey (post 1700) +


Suggested Readings for the name Carey +
Fastest Delivery Possible

Digital Products on Checkout, all other products filled in 1 business day

Money Back Guarantee

Yes, all products 100% Guraranteed

BBB A+ Rating

The Best Rating possible

Secure Online Payment

Entire site uses SSL / Secure Certificate