# Kerry (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/kerry/  
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 and girls |
| Origin | Norse |
| Meaning | “descendant of ciardha”, “black” |
| Pronunciation | /ˈkɛɹi/, 2 syllables |
| Nicknames | Kez, Kezza |
| Variant spellings | Kerri, Kerrie, Keri |
| US babies named this | 98,644 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 49,969 / 48,675 (49% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | 1,842, 1996 to 2025 |

## Etymology

* As an English surname, from a personal name derived from Old Norse Kári. * As an Irish surname, from Ó Ciardha (“descendant of Ciardha”), from ciar (“black”).

## What it means

Kerry is grouped under black.

## 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 35 | 4,193 |
| 2012 | 27 | 5,180 |
| 2013 | 39 | 3,883 |
| 2014 | 37 | 4,062 |
| 2015 | 26 | 5,219 |
| 2016 | 30 | 4,681 |
| 2017 | 30 | 4,635 |
| 2018 | 17 | 6,953 |
| 2019 | 22 | 5,715 |
| 2020 | 23 | 5,396 |
| 2021 | 16 | 7,112 |
| 2022 | 17 | 6,858 |
| 2023 | 13 | 8,283 |
| 2024 | 8 | 11,658 |
| 2025 | 22 | 5,642 |

### United States, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 61 | 2,159 |
| 2012 | 53 | 2,404 |
| 2013 | 71 | 1,953 |
| 2014 | 62 | 2,190 |
| 2015 | 62 | 2,201 |
| 2016 | 53 | 2,423 |
| 2017 | 57 | 2,302 |
| 2018 | 51 | 2,530 |
| 2019 | 43 | 2,878 |
| 2020 | 39 | 3,004 |
| 2021 | 42 | 2,946 |
| 2022 | 55 | 2,504 |
| 2023 | 35 | 3,383 |
| 2024 | 49 | 2,691 |
| 2025 | 55 | 2,464 |

### England and Wales, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 38 | 796 |
| 2007 | 70 | 527 |
| 2008 | 32 | 972 |
| 2009 | 21 | 1,365 |
| 2010 | 13 | 1,993 |
| 2011 | 10 | 2,432 |
| 2012 | 12 | 2,215 |
| 2013 | 4 | 4,739 |
| 2014 | 6 | 3,514 |
| 2015 | 7 | 3,252 |
| 2016 | 6 | 3,609 |
| 2017 | 5 | 4,063 |
| 2018 | 4 | 4,684 |
| 2021 | 4 | 4,634 |
| 2024 | 4 | 4,843 |

### England and Wales, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 4 | 2,357 |
| 1997 | 7 | 1,578 |
| 1998 | 5 | 2,074 |
| 1999 | 4 | 2,425 |
| 2000 | 3 | 3,036 |
| 2002 | 3 | 3,225 |
| 2004 | 5 | 2,578 |
| 2007 | 4 | 3,589 |
| 2010 | 3 | 4,678 |

## In other languages

- Chinese: 克里
- Japanese: ケリー
- Russian: Ке́рри, Ке́рри

## 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.