# Gary (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/gary/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. US counts from the Social Security Administration; England and Wales counts from the Office for National Statistics; meaning and etymology from Wiktionary. Data updated 2026-11-11.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Usually given to | boys |
| Origin | not recorded |
| Meaning | “spear” |
| Pronunciation | /ˈɡæɹ.i/, 2 syllables |
| Nicknames | Gaz |
| Variant spellings | Garry |
| US babies named this | 905,438 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 902,152 / 3,286 (0% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | 1,581, 1996 to 2025 |

## Etymology

Medieval short form of Germanic compound names beginning with gari or geri ("spear"), such as Gerard, Garrett, Gerald, or Gerbert. Cognate with the Scottish and Irish name Garaidh. Sometimes also a short form of Gareth. The popularity of the given name in the 20th century is due to the American actor Gary Cooper, whose stage name was invented by his agent, a native of Gary, Indiana.

## What it means

Gary is grouped under sword.

## Popularity

The last 15 years of each series. A year is missing when too few babies were given the name for the agency to publish it: five in the US, three in England and Wales.

### United States, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1983 | 47 | 2,107 |
| 1984 | 26 | 3,260 |
| 1985 | 35 | 2,719 |
| 1986 | 33 | 2,869 |
| 1987 | 30 | 3,123 |
| 1988 | 26 | 3,623 |
| 1989 | 16 | 5,374 |
| 1990 | 15 | 5,918 |
| 1991 | 7 | 10,648 |
| 1992 | 14 | 6,417 |
| 1993 | 9 | 8,968 |
| 1994 | 5 | 14,173 |
| 1995 | 8 | 9,883 |
| 1996 | 8 | 9,880 |
| 1997 | 6 | 12,623 |

### United States, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 527 | 495 |
| 2012 | 492 | 532 |
| 2013 | 446 | 580 |
| 2014 | 493 | 561 |
| 2015 | 479 | 581 |
| 2016 | 444 | 606 |
| 2017 | 407 | 637 |
| 2018 | 374 | 671 |
| 2019 | 303 | 774 |
| 2020 | 288 | 807 |
| 2021 | 253 | 908 |
| 2022 | 237 | 956 |
| 2023 | 203 | 1,067 |
| 2024 | 187 | 1,133 |
| 2025 | 201 | 1,073 |

### England and Wales, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 26 | 1,024 |
| 2012 | 29 | 977 |
| 2013 | 28 | 1,001 |
| 2014 | 33 | 889 |
| 2015 | 23 | 1,159 |
| 2016 | 27 | 1,050 |
| 2017 | 26 | 1,097 |
| 2018 | 17 | 1,455 |
| 2019 | 20 | 1,253 |
| 2020 | 10 | 2,076 |
| 2021 | 19 | 1,329 |
| 2022 | 11 | 2,018 |
| 2023 | 8 | 2,546 |
| 2024 | 8 | 2,671 |
| 2025 | 6 | 3,256 |

## In other languages

- Arabic: غَارِي
- Chinese: 加里, 賈利 /贾利
- Hebrew: גרי
- Japanese: ガリー, ギャリー, ゲイリー, ゲーリー
- Korean: 게리, 개리
- Russian: Гэ́ри, Га́ри
- Tagalog: Gary
- Ukrainian: Ге́рі

## People named Gary

- Gary Oldman, British actor and filmmaker (born 1958)
- Gary Cooper, American actor (1901–1961)
- Gary Lineker, English football pundit and former player
- Gary Sinise, American actor
- Gary Coleman, American actor (1968–2010)
- Gary S. Becker, American economist (1930-2014)
- Gary Neville, English football pundit and former playe
- Gary Cahill, English association football player (born 1985)
- Gary Ruvkun, American geneticist
- Gary Busey, American actor (born 1944)
- Francis Gary Powers, American pilot shot down flying a U-2 spy plane over the Soviet Union (1929-1977)
- Gary Payton, American basketball player (born 1968)

## How to read these numbers

A count is babies registered with that name in that year, not people alive now, so a name common a century ago can have a large total and few recent births.