How common is the surname Kerry?

2,043 people in the United States had the surname Kerry in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 151,124 Americans. It ranked 14,579th of 162,253 surnames.

Who is the most famous person named Kerry?

John Kerry, American politician and diplomat (born 1943), followed by Norman Kerry.

Where is the surname Kerry most common?

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

How do you pronounce Kerry?

Kerry is /ˈkɛɹi/, 2 syllables.

Is the surname Kerry getting more or less common?

More common. 1,859 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 2,043 in 2010, up 9.9%.

Is Kerry also a first name?

Yes. Kerry is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.

The surname Kerry

A Norse patronymic surname, carried by 2,043 people in the United States.

Pronounced /ˈkɛɹi/ 2 syllables Soundex K600 Also a first name

Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). Kerry is more common than 91% of them.

Origin

Norse origin

* 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”).

Kerry is a patronymic surname: formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name.

One of 126 Norse surnames on this site.

Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

How common it is

2010 US Census

There were 2,043 people named Kerry in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 151,124 Americans. That is up 9.9% since 2000, when the Census counted 1,859.

#14,579

rank among US surnames

2,043

people in 2010

0.7

per 100,000 Americans

+9.9%

change since 2000 (was #14,664)

Rank	Surname	People	1 in
#14,570	Amy	2,045	150,976
#14,571	Varughese	2,044	151,050
#14,579	Boysen	2,043	151,124
#14,585	Strine	2,042	151,198
#14,587	Emrich	2,041	151,272

Who is named Kerry

Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census

84% of people named Kerry identified as white (not Hispanic), 11% as Black (not Hispanic) and 2.2% as two or more races.

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

The Census suppresses very small shares to protect privacy; Asian & Pacific Islander, Native American are not shown.

Compare: most common surnames among white Americans.

Famous Kerrys

5 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

John Kerry
American politician and diplomat (born 1943)
Norman Kerry
American actor (1894-1956)
Mark Kerry
Australian swimmer, Olympic gold medallist, born 1959
Brendan Kerry
Australian figure skater, born 1994
Cameron Kerry
American politician, born 1950

Notable Kerrys come mostly from the United States (3) and Australia (2).

Spellings and sound-alikes

Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

Surnames that sound like Kerry

Kerry has the Soundex code K600, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code K600.

Other Norse surnames

All 126 Norse surnames

Questions

Where does the surname Kerry come from?: * 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”).
How common is the surname Kerry?: 2,043 people in the United States had the surname Kerry in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 151,124 Americans. It ranked 14,579th of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname Kerry?: In the 2010 Census, 84% of people named Kerry identified as white (not Hispanic), and 11% as Black (not Hispanic).
Who is the most famous person named Kerry?: John Kerry, American politician and diplomat (born 1943), followed by Norman Kerry.
Where is the surname Kerry most common?: Wikidata records people named Kerry in the United States and Australia.
How do you pronounce Kerry?: Kerry is /ˈkɛɹi/, 2 syllables.
What type of surname is Kerry?: Kerry is a patronymic surname, formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name.
Is the surname Kerry getting more or less common?: More common. 1,859 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 2,043 in 2010, up 9.9%.
Is Kerry also a first name?: Yes. Kerry is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.