Gary (given name)
Encyclopedia
The masculine given name
Gary is derived from the word 'spear' in Germanic (gar = spear), meaning a 'spear bearer' and the name (also spelled Garry) is an "acceptable" Anglicised spelling of the Scottish Gaelic and Irish Gaelic personal name Garaidh
which, like Gary, is also pronounced gæri.
The usage of Gary as a male given name in America is interestingly intertwined with the success of the actor Gary Cooper
.
According to the Social Security Administration
, Gary was relatively rare as a given name in the 1900-1920s period (e.g., in the 1910s it was the 677th most frequent name, given to less than 0.01% of the babies born in that decade). However, when the actor's Gary, Indiana
–born agent Nan Collins told him to change his name (then Frank Cooper) to Gary, this name's popularity soared. In the 1930s, 0.38% of the male babies in America were named Gary, and in the 1950s as many as 1.54% of the male babies were given this name, making it the 12th most popular given name of that decade.
The name Gary reached its record popularity (9th place) in 1954, the year after Gary Cooper received his Best Actor Academy Award
for his leading role in High Noon
. Since then, the popularity of Gary as a given name in America has been on a very slow, but steady decline. In the 1990s, this name was the 170th most popular, given to around 0.1% of newborn males.
In the United Kingdom
, its popularity peaked during the 1960s (it was the 16th most popular male name in 1964) and still ranked as high as 26th in 1984, but by the 1990s had fallen out of the top 100.
In Scotland there are many places with the name Garry, Garraidh or Gearraidh, such as Garyvard (Gearraidh Bhaird), Loch Garry
(Loch
Garraidh), Invergarry (Inbhir Garraidh), Garynahine (Gearraidh na h-Aibhne) or Glen Garry / Glengarry (rendered in Scottish Gaelic as Gleann Garraidh) and it is from here that we get the name for the military hat, the Glengarry
. In Gaelic, Garraidh can mean a fertile place, copse or thicket. In Scotland and Ireland the personal name Gary or Garry can be translated into Gaelic as Garaidh
; this is uncommon but Gaelic names have again become much more popular in both countries, and furth, in recent years. The name Gary can also be a variant of similar names, such as the Welsh
Gareth or Garrie.
Given name
A given name, in Western contexts often referred to as a first name, is a personal name that specifies and differentiates between members of a group of individuals, especially in a family, all of whose members usually share the same family name...
Gary is derived from the word 'spear' in Germanic (gar = spear), meaning a 'spear bearer' and the name (also spelled Garry) is an "acceptable" Anglicised spelling of the Scottish Gaelic and Irish Gaelic personal name Garaidh
Garaidh
The Scottish Gaelic and Irish Gaelic masculine given name Garaidh can be traced back to the Middle Ages. For example it is found in the ballad Song of Selma - the reference here is to a musician interview by BBC Scotland discussing the 15th century song wherein a character named Garaidh is...
which, like Gary, is also pronounced gæri.
The usage of Gary as a male given name in America is interestingly intertwined with the success of the actor Gary Cooper
Gary Cooper
Frank James Cooper, known professionally as Gary Cooper, was an American film actor. He was renowned for his quiet, understated acting style and his stoic, but at times intense screen persona, which was particularly well suited to the many Westerns he made...
.
According to the Social Security Administration
Social Security Administration
The United States Social Security Administration is an independent agency of the United States federal government that administers Social Security, a social insurance program consisting of retirement, disability, and survivors' benefits...
, Gary was relatively rare as a given name in the 1900-1920s period (e.g., in the 1910s it was the 677th most frequent name, given to less than 0.01% of the babies born in that decade). However, when the actor's Gary, Indiana
Gary, Indiana
Gary is a city in Lake County, Indiana, United States. The city is in the southeastern portion of the Chicago metropolitan area and is 25 miles from downtown Chicago. The population is 80,294 at the 2010 census, making it the seventh-largest city in the state. It borders Lake Michigan and is known...
–born agent Nan Collins told him to change his name (then Frank Cooper) to Gary, this name's popularity soared. In the 1930s, 0.38% of the male babies in America were named Gary, and in the 1950s as many as 1.54% of the male babies were given this name, making it the 12th most popular given name of that decade.
The name Gary reached its record popularity (9th place) in 1954, the year after Gary Cooper received his Best Actor Academy Award
Academy Awards
An Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...
for his leading role in High Noon
High Noon
High Noon is a 1952 American Western film directed by Fred Zinnemann and starring Gary Cooper and Grace Kelly. The film tells in real time the story of a town marshal forced to face a gang of killers by himself...
. Since then, the popularity of Gary as a given name in America has been on a very slow, but steady decline. In the 1990s, this name was the 170th most popular, given to around 0.1% of newborn males.
In the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, its popularity peaked during the 1960s (it was the 16th most popular male name in 1964) and still ranked as high as 26th in 1984, but by the 1990s had fallen out of the top 100.
In Scotland there are many places with the name Garry, Garraidh or Gearraidh, such as Garyvard (Gearraidh Bhaird), Loch Garry
Loch Garry
Loch Garry, , is 25 km north of Fort William, Lochaber, Scotland, and is 11 km long and 50 m deep. It is fed by waters from Loch Quoich 10 km upstream on the River Garry, and drains into Loch Oich in the Great Glen just 5 km downstream...
(Loch
Loch
Loch is the Irish and Scottish Gaelic word for a lake or a sea inlet. It has been anglicised as lough, although this is pronounced the same way as loch. Some lochs could also be called a firth, fjord, estuary, strait or bay...
Garraidh), Invergarry (Inbhir Garraidh), Garynahine (Gearraidh na h-Aibhne) or Glen Garry / Glengarry (rendered in Scottish Gaelic as Gleann Garraidh) and it is from here that we get the name for the military hat, the Glengarry
Glengarry
The glengarry bonnet is a traditional boat-shaped hat without a peak made of thick-milled woollen material with a toorie on top, a rosette cockade on the left, and ribbons hanging down behind...
. In Gaelic, Garraidh can mean a fertile place, copse or thicket. In Scotland and Ireland the personal name Gary or Garry can be translated into Gaelic as Garaidh
Garaidh
The Scottish Gaelic and Irish Gaelic masculine given name Garaidh can be traced back to the Middle Ages. For example it is found in the ballad Song of Selma - the reference here is to a musician interview by BBC Scotland discussing the 15th century song wherein a character named Garaidh is...
; this is uncommon but Gaelic names have again become much more popular in both countries, and furth, in recent years. The name Gary can also be a variant of similar names, such as the Welsh
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
Gareth or Garrie.