Given name & surname · also Norman French
Avery
“one who is a wise ruler; of the nobility”
Avery is used as a given name and a surname. One English interpretation is “one who is a wise ruler; of the nobility.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One English interpretation is “one who is a wise ruler; of the nobility.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Norman French.
How it developed
It entered given-name use through an existing surname.
The story
Its naming history includes the use of a family name as a given name.
Avery through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 236,886
- 66,880 boys · 170,006 girls
- Most popular year
- 2014
- 11,861 babies
- 2025
- 6,423
- #37 for girls · #291 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −24%
- Easing
Boys, girls and both
The balance of boys and girls given this name has shifted over time. Recent births are 20% boys.
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 5,267 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 37 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 23.8% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 9,578 in 2014. It also appeared in 1,156 birth records for boys in 2025. In 2025, Texas had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (547). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 175,333 as a first name in 2020; 37,354 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Avery’s family of names
In English usage, Avery shares an earlier linguistic root with Alfred. Avery has a related form in Averi. Avery has a related form in Averie.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 16
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 3
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Avery
- Avery Brundagepresident of the International Olympic Committee from 1952 to 19721887–1975
- Avery BrooksAmerican actor and directorborn 1948
- Avery DullesCatholic cardinal (1918–2008)
- Avery BradleyAmerican basketball player (born 1990)
- Avery JohnsonAmerican basketball player and coachborn 1965
- Avery JohnTrinidad and Tobago footballerborn 1975
- Avery SkinnerAmerican volleyball playerborn 1999
- Avery CormanAmerican writerborn 1935
- Avery HopwoodAmerican playwright (1882–1928)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Avery, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Aria
“a beautiful melody”
>99% girls
Adaline
“of the nobility; serene; of good humor”
>99% girls
Ava
Ava is a name with an uncertain early history and a prominent twentieth-century revival or re-creation.
>99% girls
Audrey
“noble” · “strength”
>99% girls
Harmony
“unity; musically in tune”
>99% girls
Harper
“one who plays or makes harps”
2% boys · 98% girls
Ivory
Ivory is used as a given name and a surname. One English interpretation is “having a creamy-white complexion; as precious as elephant tusks.”
6% boys · 94% girls
Addison
“daughter of Adam” · “the son of Adam”
2% boys · 98% girls