Given name & surname
Garry
“one who wields a spear”·“a rough but peaceful man”
Garry is a variant of Gary. One English interpretation is “one who wields a spear.” Garry is a variant of Garvey. One interpretation is “a rough but peaceful man.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
Garry is a variant of Gary. One English interpretation is “one who wields a spear.” Garry is a variant of Garvey. One interpretation is “a rough but peaceful man.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
Garry is a variant of Gary. A possible origin is Germanic, although the derivation remains uncertain.
Explained through its name family
How it developed
In English use, Garry is used as a spelling variant of Gary.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1880. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Garry through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 47,849
- 47,670 boys · 179 girls
- Most popular year
- 1954
- 2,229 babies
- 2025
- 15
- #5,949 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −38%
- Cooling
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 15 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 5,949 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 38.1% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 2,218 in 1954. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 33,439 as a first name in 2020; 3,246 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.
Garry’s family of names
Garry has an alternative spelling in Gary. Garry has a related form in Gary. Garry has a related form in Garvey.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 3
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 2
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 5
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
See also 2
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Garry
- Garry KasparovRussian chess grandmaster and activistborn 1963
- Garry ShandlingAmerican comedian (1949–2016)
- Garry MarshallAmerican actor and filmmaker (1934–2016)
- Garry RodriguesDutch-born Cape Verdean footballerborn 1990
- Garry MonkEnglish footballerborn 1979
- Garry BirtlesEnglish football player and manager (born 1956)
- Garry WinograndAmerican street photographer (1928–1984)
- Garry ConillePrime Minister of Haiti in 2024born 1966
- Garry O'ConnorScottish association football player (born 1983)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
Similar names
If you love Garry, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Gale
“a foreigner” · “one who is cheerful”
85% boys · 15% girls
Galen
“a healer; one who is calm”
>99% boys
Cary
“from the river” · “from the fort on the hill”
95% boys · 5% girls
Jeffry
“a man of peace”
>99% boys
Adlai
“God is just” · “The Lord is just; an orna-i ment”
75% boys · 25% girls
Gerard
“one who is mighty with a spear”
>99% boys
Terry
“learned” · “instigator”
97% boys · 3% girls
Artis
“lofty hill; noble” · “rock”
94% boys · 6% girls