Given name & surname
Keri
“having black hair”
Keri is a variant of Kerry. One interpretation is “having black hair.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
Keri is a variant of Kerry. One interpretation is “having black hair.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
Keri is a form of Kerry. Kerry has more than one origin: as an English surname, it comes from Old Norse Kári; as an Irish surname, it goes back to a word meaning “descendant of Ciardha”.
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1946. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Keri through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 32,386
- 325 boys · 32,061 girls
- Most popular year
- 1975
- 1,517 babies
- 2025
- 14
- #7,686 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −49%
- Cooling
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 14 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 7,686 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 49.2% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 1,502 in 1975. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 29,031 as a first name in 2020; 251 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.
Keri’s family of names
Keri has a related form in Kerry. In Greek usage, Keri as a surname is a transliteration of Κέρη. In Greek usage, Keri as a surname is a transliteration of Κερί.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 1
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 6
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 Keri
- Keri HilsonAmerican R&B singerborn 1982
- Keri RussellAmerican actressborn 1976
- Keri HulmeNew Zealand writer1947–2021
- Keri Lynn PrattAmerican actressborn 1978
- Keri-Lynn WilsonCanadian conductorborn 1967
- Keri KelliAmerican guitaristborn 1971
- Keri HermanAmerican freestyle skierborn 1986
- Keri SmithCanadian writerborn 1973
- Keri WongAmerican tennis playerborn 1989
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Keri, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Kerrie
“having black hair”
1% boys · 99% girls
Kateri
Kateri is a feminine given name from Mohawk. It is used in French.
>99% girls
Kelly
“a lively and bright-headed woman”
21% boys · 79% girls
Candace
“a queen” · “one who is white and glowing”
>99% girls
Ericka
Ericka is a feminine given name from Germanic.
>99% girls
Brianne
“from the high hill; one who ascends”
>99% girls
Lori
“crowned with laurel; from the laurel tree”
>99% girls
Evette
“giver of life; a lively woman”
>99% girls