Given name & surname
Jerry
“a holy man; having great strength”
Jerry is connected with Jeremy and Gerald.
Meaning & origin
What it means
One Greek interpretation is “a holy man; having great strength.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Greek.
How it developed
Jerry is used as an affectionate form of Jeremy. Jerry is used as an affectionate form of Gerald.
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. In English use, Jerry is an affectionate form of Gerald. The history of Gerald gives this family its wider story. Gerald’s historical bearers include members of the aristocracy. In English use, Jerry is a diminutive of Geraldine. The history of Geraldine gives this family its wider story. The Earl of Surrey created Geraldine in the sixteenth century in a poem praising Lady Fitzgerald. Geraldine remained little used for a time before becoming more established in the eighteenth century.
Combines direct and name-family evidence
Jerry through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 632,416
- 615,102 boys · 17,314 girls
- Most popular year
- 1947
- 19,263 babies
- 2025
- 262
- #907 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −36%
- Cooling
Boys, girls and both
The balance of boys and girls given this name has shifted over time. Recent births are 100% boys.
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 262 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 907 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 36.2% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 18,794 in 1947. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (28). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 369,611 as a first name in 2020; 2,630 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.
Jerry’s family of names
In English usage, Jerry is a diminutive of Jeremy. In English usage, Jerry is a shortened form of German. Jerry is an affectionate form of Jeremy.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 25
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
- Jeremiahfull form · English
- Jeremyfull form · English
- Jaredfull form · English
- Geraldfull form · English
- Jeromefull form · English
- Germanfull form · English
- Jermainefull form · English
- Gerardfull form · English
Show 17 moreShow fewer
Spellings & scripts 2
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 2
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Jerry
- Jerry LewisAmerican comedian, actor and film director (1926–2017)
- Jerry SeinfeldAmerican comedian and actorborn 1954
- Jerry Lee LewisAmerican rock 'n' roll musician (1935–2022)
- Jerry Rawlingsfourth President of the Republic of Ghana (1947-2020)
- Jerry WestAmerican basketball player and executive (1938-2024)
- Jerry BrownGovernor of California from 1975 to 1983 and 2011 to 2019 (born 1938)
- Jerry SpringerAmerican television personality and politician (1944–2023)
- Jerry BruckheimerAmerican film and television producer (born 1943)
- Jerry Yangfounder of Yahoo!born 1968
Characters named Jerry: Mister No (fictional character), Jerry Cotton (a series of crime novels), Jerry Seinfeld (main character on the TV show Seinfeld), Jerry Smith (Rick and Morty).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Jerry, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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