| The boy name Gary [ 2 syll. ga-ry, gar-y ] is pronounced as GEHRiy KEY. Gary is used predominantly in English and German. It is derived from Old English origins. Developed from the words 'gar' spear ; 'ger' spear. The given name is derived from the English surname, which is itself of Norman French origin and from various names with the Germanic 'gar' as the first element. It could also be a pet form of the name Gareth. The name was borne by the US industrialist industrialist Elbert Henry Gary (1846-1927), after whom the steel town of Gary, Indiana was named. The name of the town was in turn adopted by the US actor Gary Cooper (Frank James Cooper, 1901-1961), whose fame boosted the popularity of the name. The name was later also popularized by the cricketer Gary Sobers (Garfield Sobers, 1936-), widely regarded as the greatest all-rounder in history, and the English glam rock star Gary Glitter (Paul Gadd, 1944-). Garry (spelling variant in English and German) is a form of the name. See also the related form, Gareth (English and Welsh). Gary is a classic favorite. Today it is still rather popular as a baby boy name, but not to the degree it was previously. The name's popularity grew from the 1900s up to the 1950s. At the height of its usage in 1951, 1.996% of baby boys were named Gary. It was #10 in rank then. The baby name has seen a substantial fall in popularity since then. In 2007, its usage was only 0.035% and its ranking #388, but it was nevertheless the most frequently used within all boy names in its family. The name Gary has primarily been a boy name, though it has also been given to girls in the last century. In 1947, 324 times as many boys than girls were given the name Gary. A baby name that sounds like Gary is the name Garry (English and German). KEY: Pronunciation for Gary: G as in "green (G.R.IY.N)" ; EH as in "Ed (EH.D)" ; R as in "read (R.IY.D)" ; IY as in "eat (IY.T)"
Details of famous persons named Gary:
Actor Gary Burghoff, born 24 May 1940, Bristol, Connecticut.
Actor Gary Busey, born 29 June 1944, Goose Creek, Texas.
Actor Gary Coleman, born 8 February 1968, Zion, Illinois.
Actor Gary Cooper, born Frank James Cooper 7 May 1901 - 13 May 1961, Helena, Montana.
Actor Gary Oldman, born Leonard Gary Oldman 21 March 1958, London, England.
Author Gary Paulsen, born 17 May 1939, Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Political Figure Gary Bauer, born 1946, Newport, Kentucky.
Political Figure Gary Condit, born 21 April 1948, Salina, Oklahoma. |
