FastNamesAvery
English, French and Germanic name meaning "Derived from the Old French pronunciation of the Germanic/Anglo-Saxon personal name Alfred (ælf 'elf' and rīc / rǣd 'ruler, counsel'), signifying 'ruler of the elves' or 'elf counsel'.". Ranked 37th for girls in 2025.
Meaning and origin of Avery
Derived from the Old French pronunciation of the Germanic/Anglo-Saxon personal name Alfred (ælf 'elf' and rīc / rǣd 'ruler, counsel'), signifying 'ruler of the elves' or 'elf counsel'.
Linguistically, Avery is classified under English, French and Germanic naming traditions. It is typically pronounced "AY-vər-ee".
Popularity and ranking
In official US Social Security birth records from 1880 through 2025, Avery has been given to a total of 170,006 girls. It has also been given to 66,880 boys.
Peak year: Avery reached its highest relative share among girls in 2014, when 9,578 babies received the name (5,362 per million births).
All-time best rank: 12th place, first achieved in 2013.
Recent standing (2025): Ranked 37th with 5,267 births. Ten years earlier in 2015, it ranked 16th (down 21 spots).
Busiest decade: More girls were named Avery in the 2010s than in any other decade (82,921 births).
| Decade | Recorded births |
|---|---|
| 1890s | 6 |
| 1900s | 37 |
| 1910s | 93 |
| 1920s | 151 |
| 1930s | 79 |
| 1940s | 112 |
| 1950s | 149 |
| 1960s | 168 |
| 1970s | 318 |
| 1980s | 952 |
| 1990s | 6,697 |
| 2000s | 41,706 |
| 2010s | 82,921 |
| 2020s | 36,617 |
Source: Social Security Administration, national baby name data, data through 2025. Names given to fewer than five babies of one sex in a year aren't published, so totals are a little lower than actual births.
Where Avery is most common in the US
Accounting for when Avery was in fashion nationally, it has been most heavily concentrated in the following states (measured against the expected rate from each state's births):
- Wyoming: 2.2 times the national rate (288 births since 1910).
- South Dakota: 1.9 times the national rate (674 births since 1910).
- North Dakota: 1.9 times the national rate (634 births since 1910).
- New Hampshire: 1.9 times the national rate (850 births since 1910).
- Rhode Island: 1.8 times the national rate (650 births since 1910).
Source: Social Security Administration, baby names by state, data through 2025. Names given to fewer than five babies of one sex in a state in a year aren't published, so totals are a little lower than actual births.
How many people have the name Avery?
About 168,000 living American girls and women share the name Avery. Additionally, an estimated 61,500 living American boys and men share the name.
The median age of an American named Avery is 12 years old.
Estimated from Social Security Administration records (1880–2025) and official SSA cohort mortality tables.
History of the name Avery
Avery developed as the medieval Anglo-Norman French pronunciation and surname derivative of the Old English personal name Alfred (via Continental Germanic cognates like Alberic), uniting ælf ('elf', a supernatural creature endowed with magical wisdom) and rīc ('ruler', 'king') or rǣd ('counsel'). In Germanic and Anglo-Saxon folklore, elves symbolized otherworldly beauty and esoteric wisdom.
Following the Norman Conquest, the name appeared in medieval Latin rolls as Albericus and Aubrey, while the phonetic evolution in southern and western England yielded Avery and Avory. The surname flourished across Devon, Somerset, and Warwickshire, borne by notable early mariners and merchants including the English privateer Captain Henry Every (or Avery).
Bestowed as a personal name in the American South and New England to commemorate maternal lineages, Avery underwent an extraordinary transformation into a mainstream unisex favorite in the late twentieth century. Entering the national top fifty for girls in 2011, it surged into the top twenty with peak births exceeding 10,000 annually, while concurrently holding solid top-200 standing for boys.
Notable people named Avery
- Avery Brooks (1948–), American actor known for Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
- Avery Bradley (1990–), American former NBA player and two-time All-Defensive selection
- Avery Johnson (1965–), American former basketball player and NBA coach
- Avery Williamson (1992–), Former American football linebacker
Variants and related names
Spelling variants
Diminutives and nicknames
Related names
Sources and references
- Patrick Hanks, Kate Hardcastle, Flavia Hodges. A Dictionary of First Names (2006), p. 25.
- P. H. Reaney, R. M. Wilson. A Dictionary of English Surnames (1997), p. 19.
- Douglas Harper. Online Etymology Dictionary. Reference link.