Gary
Pronounced G AE1 R IY0 (ARPABET)
- 2 syllables
- Peaked 1952
- 145 years in use
- 3 spellings
How popular is Gary?
Gary is a boys' name, and has been in the record since the data starts in 1880. It has been given to 954,540 children — the 35th most common boys' name on record.
It has been slipping, down 50% on the previous decade. Its best single year was 1952, when 40,622 children were given it.
Three other spellings are counted in that total — Garry, Garey and Garrey — because they are pronounced identically.
Spelling variants
These spellings sound identical to Gary and are counted together with it, which is why the totals here are higher than a single-spelling count.
- Garry
- Garey
- Garrey
Characteristics
- 2 syllables
Phonetic detail
- Pronunciations:
- G AE1 R IY0 · G EH1 R IY0
- Stress pattern:
- 10 · 10
- Syllables:
- 2
Stress digits mark unstressed (0), primary (1) and secondary (2) syllables.
Names like Gary
Same first letter and syllable count, peaking around the same time.
Sibling names for Gary
Names from the same era with a matching rhythm but a different initial.
Frequently asked questions
- How popular is the name Gary?
- Gary ranks 35th among boys' names in US records, with 954,540 births since 1880. Over the past decade it accounts for 3,424.
- Is Gary a unisex name?
- No. Gary is recorded almost entirely as a boys' name; births to the other gender are too few to register as a share.
- When was Gary most popular?
- 1952, when 40,622 children were given the name. It has been in use for 145 years and is still recorded as of 2024.
- How else is Gary spelled?
- Garry, Garey, Garrey. All of these sound the same and are counted together in the totals on this page.