# Kerry (surname)

Source: https://namelineage.com/surname/kerry/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. Counts from the US Census Bureau; origin and etymology from Wiktionary; bearers from Wikidata. Data updated 2026-11-11.

A surname from Middle English derived from the place name, or from the Middle English given name Kendrick.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | Norse |
| Type | patronymic, formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 2,043 |
| US rank (2010) | 14,579 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 151,124 people |
| Change since 2000 | +9.9% (1,859 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | /ˈkɛɹi/, 2 syllables |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |

## 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”).

## Who carries it

Share of people named Kerry in the 2010 US Census by the Census's own race and ethnicity groups. The Census suppresses a share when the count behind it is small.

| Group | Share |
|---|---|
| White (not Hispanic) | 84% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 11% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 1.9% |
| Two or more races | 2.2% |

## Where

Wikidata records people named Kerry in the United States and Australia.

## People named Kerry

- John Kerry, American politician and diplomat (born 1943)
- Norman Kerry, American actor (1894-1956)
- Mark Kerry, Australian swimmer, Olympic gold medallist
- Brendan Kerry, Australian figure skater
- Cameron Kerry, American politician

## Similar surnames

Kerr, Kear, Kehr, Krey, Keir, Ker, Kaur, Karr, Khoury, Kier, Koury, Kohr.

## How to read these numbers

A Census count is people alive and counted in 2010, not births, and names occurring fewer than 100 times are not published at all. Ethnicity shares are the Census's own categories.