The Geary surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 12,382 people carried this name — #2,895 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 23,800 people counted. That is up 2% from 12,168 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Geary surname

As an Irish surname, from Ó Gadhra, from gadhar (“hound”)

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Geary» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as a baptismal name, from a given name: ‘the son of Geri’.

An early record he cites: Richard Jery, Huntingdonshire, 1273 — Hundred Rolls.

His entry covers Geary, Gery, Garry and Gerry.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 313 · public domain.

In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890

Ireland registered 26 births for the Geary name in 1890.

They were registered in all four provinces, most of all in Munster. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 1,200 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time. 2 of them were indexed under other spellings of the name. The Registrar-General’s note on the name: “Cork.”

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they were born, 1890

Munster 18
Connacht 3
Leinster 3
Ulster 2

Registrar-General for Ireland, «Special Report on Surnames in Ireland» (R. E. Matheson, 1894), births index of 1890 — public domain.

In the Nordic population registers

27 people named Geary is counted in Sweden.

Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published.

Counted, by country

Sweden (2022) 27

Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown).

Among the farmers of England and Wales, 1880s

Geary was found among the farmers of Leicestershire and Rutland: 25 in every 10,000.

Guppy counted the farmers listed in each county’s directory and recorded a name only where it reached about 7 in every 10,000; where it does not appear, it was rarer than that, not absent.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Per 10,000 farmers, by county

Leicestershire and Rutland 25

H. B. Guppy, «Homes of Family Names in Great Britain» (London, 1890), alphabetical list of English and Welsh names — public domain · farmers in Kelly’s Post Office Directories of the 1880s, per 10,000 farmers in each county.

In the first U.S. census, 1790

48 families named Geary, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 227 people lived in those households, 4.7 to a family on average. The table counts it together with 3 other spellings. The table lists white heads of families only, in the twelve states whose 1790 records survive; Virginia’s figures come from state lists of 1782–1785.

Families, by state

Massachusetts 15
Pennsylvania 10
South Carolina 7
New York 5
Vermont 4
New Hampshire 2
Connecticut 2
Maryland 2
North Carolina 1

U.S. Census Bureau, «A Century of Population Growth from the First Census of the United States to the Twelfth, 1790–1900» (Washington, 1909), table 111, p. 241 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Geary in American newspapers,
1905–1921.

Newspaper page from Daily Kennebec Journal carrying the name Geary
Daily Kennebec Journal 1905-10-31
Newspaper page from Daily Kennebec Journal carrying the name Geary
Daily Kennebec Journal 1905-11-02
Newspaper page from Vernon Parish Democrat carrying the name Geary
Vernon Parish Democrat 1921-03-10

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 191,106 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Geary in Australian newspapers,
1820s–2000s.

30,946 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Geary. The most, 6,342, date from the 1900s. New South Wales has the most articles, but weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, the name stands out most in Western Australia, at 2.0 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 11,007
Queensland 6,426
Victoria 5,562
Western Australia 5,468
Tasmania 1,360
South Australia 957
ACT (Canberra) 111
Northern Territory 6

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Geary.

Who carried it

People named Geary,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Sir Francis Geary, 1st Baronet
    Sir Francis Geary, 1st Baronet 1709–1796 · naval officer
  • Anna Martha Geary d. 1890
  • Ann Geary d. 1923
  • Ellen Mary Geary d. 1832
  • Kathleen Geary d. 1997
  • Mary Geary d. 1801

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Geary,
in the records of 6 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States2,513 records

2,513 records of the Geary name in the United States
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 855
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 553
  • Other U.S. records 1,105
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Glen M. Geary

    Born 1920 in South Dakota. Enlisted 1942 at Fort Snelling, Minnesota; farmer. U.S. Army Air Forces veteran of World War II; died 1998, buried at St John's Catholic Cemetery, Conde, South Dakota.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Hannah Geary

    Arrived at New York in 1892 aboard the Ethiopia from Glasgow, aged 30; servant. From Londonderry, Ireland; bound for New York.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)
  3. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Robert Francis Geary

    Born 1946; from Yonkers, New York. U.S. Marine Corps, rifleman; killed in action 1966 in Quang Tri, South Vietnam.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain)

Showing 3 of 2,513 records for Geary in the United States.

Counts: NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · New York State, Open NY (police and firefighter memorial rolls). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain).

Australia837 records

837 records of the Geary name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 335
  • Queensland State Archives indexes 169
  • Other Australian records 333
  1. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record Mary Ann Geary

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Sea Queen, sailing from Woolwich in 1846. Native of St Luke's, Middlesex. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1847. Married 1847 in Hobart, Tasmania.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record James Geary

    Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1854. Married 1854 in Launceston, Tasmania, aged 32.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Samuel Geary

    Arrived in Queensland in 1911 aboard the Rimutaka, aged 26.

    Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 837 records for Geary in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · ACT Government, Transport Canberra and City Services (CC BY 4.0) · City of Ballarat, Avenue of Honour Plaques (CC BY 3.0 AU). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain); Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Canada58 records

58 records of the Geary name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 21
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 15
  • Other Canadian records 22
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Thos Geary

    Came to Ontario in 1869 aboard the Hibernian, landing at Quebec, bound for Sarnia, Ontario; English.

    Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Lilian Mary Louise Geary

    Buried in 1980 at St. Mary's Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 94.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Micheal Geary

    Died 1930 in Rock Road, Hants, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.

Showing 3 of 58 records for Geary in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

United Kingdom22 records

22 records of the Geary name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 10
  • St James's burial ground, Euston (London), 1789–1853 10
  • Other British records 2
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Isabella Geary

    Died 1993, aged 84; buried at Aberfoyle Cemetery, Stirling, Scotland.

    Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  2. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Lucy Harriet Geary

    Will proved in 1914; of Beaumaris, Anglesea.

    National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0)
  3. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record P. Geary

    Shropshire Light Infantry. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1919.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)

Showing 3 of 22 records for Geary in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0) · Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

New Zealand13 records

13 records of the Geary name in New Zealand
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 10
  • Thames-Coromandel District cemetery records 3
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Rose Lilian Hannah Geary

    Died 1938, aged 41; buried at Bromley Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record George Edward Geary

    Buried in 1960 at Omahu Cemetery, Thames-Coromandel District, Waikato, aged 47.

    Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Elizabeth Jane Geary

    Died 1914, aged 27; buried at Rutherford Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 13 records for Geary in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

France5 records

5 records of the Geary name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Lucie Dieudonnee Leonie Geary

    Born 1895 in Levrézy; died 1980 in Bogny-sur-Meuse (Ardennes).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  2. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Aime Georges Geary

    Born 1910 in Mulhouse (Haut-Rhin); died 2001 in Niederhausbergen (Bas-Rhin).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  3. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Janice Blevon Geary

    Born 1945 in the United Kingdom; died 1990 in Hyères (Var).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 3 of 5 records for Geary in France.

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Geary.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Geary is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

See the Geary volume
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