Carey Family History

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Carey Name Meaning

Irish: Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Ciardha, a midland family name meaning ‘descendant of Ciardha’, a personal name derived from ciar ‘dark’, ‘black’. Irish: Anglicized form of Gaelic Mac Fhiachra ‘son of Fiachra’. English: habitational name from Carey in Devon or Cary in Somerset, named for the rivers on which they stand; both river names probably derive from the Celtic root car- ‘love’, ‘liking’, perhaps with the meaning ‘pleasant stream’. English (of Norman origin): habitational name from the manor of Carrey, near Lisieux, Normandy, France, of uncertain origin. Welsh and Cornish: variant of Carew. Possibly an Americanized form of German Gehrig or Gehring.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names ©2013, Oxford University Press


Similar surnames: Caley, Carley, Carby, Carney, Rarey, Cardy, Harty, Care, Carew, Corey

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Carey Ethnicity Estimate

What are the common regions with the Carey name?

These results combine data from everyone in the AncestryDNA® database with the last name Carey. The Ancestry® ethnicity regions shown are top five most common on average for these people.

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  • England & Wales

    40%

  • Ireland & Scotland

    29%

  • Germanic Europe

    6%

  • Eastern Europe & Russia

    3%

  • France

    3%

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Carey Family Origin

Where is the Carey family from?

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You can see how Carey families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Carey family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Carey families were found in the USA in 1880. In 1911 there were 463 Carey families living in Ontario. This was about 53% of all the recorded Carey's in Canada. Ontario had the highest population of Carey families in 1911.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Carey surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

View Census Data for Carey

Carey Family Occupations

What did your Carey ancestors do for a living?

In 1881, a less common occupation for the Carey family was Labourer. The most common Carey occupation in Canada was Farmer. 27% of Carey's were Farmers. Farmer, School and Servant were the top 3 reported jobs worked by Carey.

View Census data for Carey | Data not to scale

  • Farmer

    27%

  • School

    8%

  • Servant

    5%

  • Labourer

    4%

Census records can tell you a lot of little known facts about your Carey ancestors, such as occupation. Occupation can tell you about your ancestor's social and economic status.

Carey Historical Records

What Carey family records will you find?

Census Record

There are 418,000 census records available for the last name Carey. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Careycensus records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search 1881 Canadian census records for Carey

Passenger List

There are 128,000 immigration records available for the last name Carey. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in Canada, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

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Draft Card

There are 75,000 military records available for the last name Carey. For the veterans among your Carey ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

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You've only scratched the surface of Carey family history.

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Carey Life Expectancy

What is the average Carey lifespan?

Between 1941 and 2004, in the United States, Carey life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1944, and highest in 2000. The average life expectancy for Carey in 1941 was 37, and 75 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Carey

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Carey ancestors lived in harsh conditions. A short lifespan might also indicate health problems that were once prevalent in your family. The SSDI is a searchable database of more than 70 million names. You can find birthdates, death dates, addresses and more.

Famous Carey Family Ancestors

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