Kerry
Pronounced K AE1 R IY0 (ARPABET)
- 2 syllables
- Peaked 1960
- 145 years in use
- 9 spellings
How popular is Kerry?
Kerry is a boys' name, and has been in the record since the data starts in 1880. It has been given to 96,064 children — the 323rd most common boys' name on record.
Its use has been broadly flat across the past two decades. Its best single year was 1960, when 3,426 children were given it.
Nine other spellings are counted in that total — Cary, Carey, Kary and six more — because they are pronounced identically.
Spelling variants
These spellings sound identical to Kerry and are counted together with it, which is why the totals here are higher than a single-spelling count.
- Cary
- Carey
- Kary
- Carrie
- Kari
- Karry
- Kerri
- Carry
- Carrey
Characteristics
- 2 syllables
Phonetic detail
- Pronunciations:
- K AE1 R IY0 · K EH1 R IY0
- Stress pattern:
- 10 · 10
- Syllables:
- 2
Stress digits mark unstressed (0), primary (1) and secondary (2) syllables.
Names like Kerry
Same first letter and syllable count, peaking around the same time.
Sibling names for Kerry
Names from the same era with a matching rhythm but a different initial.
Frequently asked questions
- How popular is the name Kerry?
- Kerry ranks 323rd among boys' names in US records, with 96,064 births since 1880. Over the past decade it accounts for 1,256.
- Is Kerry a unisex name?
- No. Kerry is recorded almost entirely as a boys' name; births to the other gender are too few to register as a share.
- When was Kerry most popular?
- 1960, when 3,426 children were given the name. It has been in use for 145 years and is still recorded as of 2024.
- How else is Kerry spelled?
- Cary, Carey, Kary, Carrie, Kari, Karry, Kerri, Carry, Carrey. All of these sound the same and are counted together in the totals on this page.