Keary
Masculine · “descendant of the dark one”
Keary is given to both — 580 boys and 104 girls since 1880. See other names given to both
Keary is an Irish surname, Ó Ciardha, carried into English with a spelling that could be read three ways. It is short, soft at both ends, and has been given to sons and, less often, to daughters.
How old is the name Keary?
Keary first appears in US birth records in 1949 — 76 years ago. The typical Keary alive today was born around 1972, making them about 53 years old. About 500 people named Keary are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Keary most popular?
Keary peaked in 1974, reaching #1520 nationally. See the whole 1974 chart.
Where it comes from
From ciar to Keary
The story of Keary
Ó Ciardha was a Gaelic family name, and when Irish surnames were written down in English it came out as Keary, Carey, Keery and Kerry, depending on the ear of the clerk. The ea spelling is the uncertain one: before an r, English uses it for the vowel of near, of bear and of heard, and a reader meeting Keary cold has to guess. In America the surname became a first name for boys, and for girls it arrived beside the familiar Kerry and Keri, so the same letters reach both sexes by different doors.
Meaning
descendant of the dark one
From Irish Ó Ciardha, descendant of Ciardha, a personal name built on ciar, dark or black-brown. Carey and Keery are other English spellings of the same surname.
How the name formed
- ciar
- Ó Ciardha
- Keary
Related forms: Ó Ciardha · Carey
Pronouncing Keary
KEER-ee
Usually said to rhyme with weary. Some families say KAIR-ee, closer to Carey; the spelling allows both, so it is worth saying once.
Nicknames for Keary
Limited
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1949
- Most boys named
- 197433 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #1520reached in 1974
- Change vs 1997
- 0.0%6 in 1999, from 6
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Keary in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Ó Ciardha in Irish — related form
- Carey in English — spelling variant
Kearys among us
people named Keary are estimated to be alive in the US today
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
Questions parents actually ask
Fashion outlook
Keary sits outside the current charts, and that is its own kind of answer: naming cycles can only date the names they carried up. A name this rare has no decade stamped on it — it cannot go out of fashion, because it was never in.
Based on 146 years of naming cycles. How we read them
The trade-off
- It has a documented Irish origin and a plain meaning.
- It is short and easy to call out.
- It is rare as a first name without sounding invented.
- The ea before r can be read as in near or as in bear, so strangers will split between KEER-ee and KAIR-ee.
- Most children given this spelling are boys; a girl named Keary may be taken for a boy on paper, and will often see it respelled as Kerry or Keri.
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What they receive
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Keary
Masculine
Frequently asked
- How many Kearys are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 500 people named Keary are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Keary in 2025?
- Keary is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 boy names.
- Will my child share the name Keary with classmates?
- Keary will almost certainly be the only one in school.
More K names
The most-given names starting with K, all years combined.
Kenneth#294 · Kevin#221 · Kyle#508 · Keith#800 · Karl#1585 · Kaleb#295 · Kurt#2258 · Kelly#1867
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Keary? See the current top 100.
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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