Carey
/ˈkɛəri/noun
Carey is an English-language surname and given name with several documented origins, especially Irish and Welsh ones.
Did you know?The Irish surname Carey is commonly Anglicized from Ó Ciardha, meaning “descendant of Ciardha,” whose name derives from Old Irish ciar, “dark” or “black.”
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Celtic or early Celtic
Celtic
*kēros
“A reconstructed Celtic root associated with darkness or dark coloring; the precise prehistory of ciar is debated.”
Old Irish
Old Irish
ciar
“Dark, black, or dark-colored.”
Medieval Irish
Irish
Ciardha
“A personal name meaning “dark one” or “dark-haired one.””
Medieval Irish
Irish
Ó Ciardha
““Descendant of Ciardha,” a hereditary family designation.”
16th–17th Century
English/Irish
Carey; Carey
“Anglicized spellings of Ó Ciardha appear in English records.”
Modern English
English
Carey
“A surname and given name; some families also bear Carey from unrelated Welsh or English place-name origins.”