Avery
Where Avery comes from
From Anglo-Norman Averay, Auveray, Alverey, from Latin Alveredus, Aluredus, from Old English Ælfræd, from ælf (“elf”) and ræd (“counsel”). Doublet of Alfred.
- Old French
- 3 syllables
- Vowel-ended
Along the way
- 1887Avery Brundage bornpresident of the International Olympic Committee from 1952 to 1972
- 1890First appearance#1,210 among girls, 6 babies — the first year at least five got the name.
- 1949Avery Brooks bornAmerican actor and director
- 1998Mostly girls from hereUntil now more boys than girls got the name; from this year it's the other way round, and has stayed that way.
- 2013Peak, #129,185 babies named Avery — more than any year before or since.
In the dictionary
- A male given name from Old French or transferred from the surname.
- A female given name transferred from the surname, of modern usage.
Namesakes
- Avery Brundage · president of the International Olympic Committee from 1952 to 1972, 1887–1975
- Avery Brooks · American actor and director, born 1949
- Avery Dulles · Catholic cardinal, 1918–2008
- Avery Bradley · American basketball player, born 1990
- Avery Johnson · American basketball player and coach, born 1965
Sources: the origin note and dictionary entry are quoted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0); the namesakes come from Wikidata (CC0); the milestones are worked out from the SSA record.