NameChart

Gary

Boy name

Gary has been given to 905,438 babies in the U.S. since 1880. It peaked in 1952.

Meaning & origin /ˈɡæɹ.ɪ/

Medieval short form of Germanic compound names beginning with gari or geri ("spear"), such as Gerard, Garrett, Gerald, or Gerbert. Cognate with the Scottish and Irish name Garaidh. Sometimes also a short form of Gareth. The popularity of the given name in the 20th century is due to the American actor Gary Cooper, whose stage name was invented by his agent, a native of Gary, Indiana.

Origin: Germanic languages

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Popularity over time births per year, 1880–2025

09.689k19.377k29.066k38.754k 18801900192019401960198020002020 Girls Boys
Hover or tap the chart to read any year.

Total babies

905,438

Peak year

1952 (38,839 babies)

Rank in 2025

Below top 1000

First recorded

1880

10-year trend

▼ -58%

Gender split

0% girls / 100% boys

Rank through the decades

Gary's rank among U.S. boy names at 25-year milestones.

YearBoys rank
1900#934
1925#587
1950#10
1975#50
2000#275

— means outside the top 1000 that year.

Spellings & variants

Names one letter away from Gary — alternate spellings parents actually use.

Marygirl

4,156,654 babies since 1880
Garryboy

47,849 babies since 1880
Caryboy

29,827 babies since 1880
Gaygirl

19,367 babies since 1883
Karyunisex

3,378 babies since 1917
Gearyboy

2,457 babies since 1916

Famous people named Gary

Gary Oldman

British actor and filmmaker (born 1958)

Gary Cooper

American actor (1901–1961)

Gary Lineker

English football pundit and former player

Gary Sinise

American actor

Notability data from Wikidata (CC0).

Names with a similar vibe

Same primary gender, peaked around the same years, and roughly as common as Gary.

Stephenboy

867,669 babies since 1880
Larryboy

811,148 babies since 1880
Ronaldboy

1,086,091 babies since 1883
Jerryboy

632,416 babies since 1880
Dennisboy

623,692 babies since 1880
Peterboy

591,531 babies since 1880
Douglasboy

562,086 babies since 1880
Kennethboy

1,289,312 babies since 1880

FAQ

How popular is the name Gary?

Gary has been given to 905,438 babies in the U.S. since 1880. It ranked below the top 1000 in 2025.

When did the name Gary peak?

Gary peaked in 1952, when 38,839 babies were given the name.

Is Gary a girl or boy name?

Gary is primarily a boy name (100% of babies named Gary are boys).

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