NameCensus.

UK boy's name

Garry

Of German and English origin, a variant spelling of Gary, meaning spear or lance carrier.

For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2023. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.

Garry is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Garry popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2023 in this profile. In that release it ranked #4991, with 3 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 1996, with 29 births.

This profile covers 240 England and Wales registrations across 26 recorded years from 1996 to 2023. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, NRS Scotland and NISRA Northern Ireland, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.

The latest count is about 10% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.

We estimate that about 2,651 living people in the UK are called Garry. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2024 or 2026.

Key insights

  • Garry ranked #4991 for boys in England and Wales in 2023, with 3 registrations.
  • The name peaked in 1996, when 29 boys were registered as Garry.
  • Garry ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #281 in 2002.
  • About 2,651 living people in the UK are estimated to have Garry as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.

Latest rank (E&W)

#4991

2023

Births in 2023

3

Latest year

Peak year

1996

29 births

Estimated living

2,651

2026

Meaning

What does Garry mean?

The name Garry has its origins in the Old English language and is derived from the Old Germanic words "gairu" or "gairu" meaning "spear." It was originally a surname given to those who were skilled in the use of spears or who were spearmen by profession.

In the Middle Ages, the name Garry was popular among the Anglo-Saxon and Norman populations of England. It was often spelled as "Gery," "Gerri," or "Garre" during this time period. The name was also found in various ancient texts and records from the 9th to 11th centuries, including the Domesday Book, which was a survey of land ownership in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086.

One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Garry is Gerard of Cremona, an Italian translator and scholar born in 1114. He is known for his translations of many important Arabic scientific works into Latin, including the works of Aristotle and Ptolemy.

Another notable figure with the name Garry was Gerardus Mercator, a Flemish cartographer born in 1512. He is famous for creating the Mercator projection, which is a cylindrical map projection that became a standard for navigation and mapmaking.

In the 16th century, Sir Garret Moore, an Irish soldier and statesman born in 1560, played a significant role in the Tudor conquest of Ireland. He served as Lord Deputy of Ireland and was instrumental in establishing English rule in the country.

During the 17th century, Gérard Desargues, a French mathematician and engineer born in 1591, made important contributions to the field of projective geometry. He is regarded as one of the founders of modern projective geometry.

In the 20th century, Garry Kasparov, a Russian chess grandmaster born in 1963, is widely considered one of the greatest chess players of all time. He was the world chess champion from 1985 to 2000 and is known for his aggressive and attacking style of play.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

Popularity

Garry over time

The chart below shows babies named Garry registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1996 to 2023. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.

For Garry, the clearest high point is 1996. The latest England and Wales figure is 3 births in 2023, compared with 29 at the peak.

Babies born per year

Garry
07152229199620092023

Decades

Garry by decade

Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Garry was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.

Decade Average rank Total births Years covered
2020s #3962 13 3
2010s #3591 46 9
2000s #1861 96 10
1990s #772 85 4

Geography

Where Garry is most common

The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Garry. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.

Garry ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #281 in 2002.

Northern Ireland
3
Scotland
3

Across the UK

Garry in Scotland and Northern Ireland

Scotland (NRS)

#727 in 2024

45 years of NRS records, 2,483 total registered

Northern Ireland (NISRA)

#281 in 2002

2 years of NISRA records, 6 total registered

Notable bearers

Famous people named Garry

  • Garry Wood

    association football player

    Scottish footballer (born 1988)

    1988-

  • Garry Richards

    association football player

    British footballer (born 1986)

    1986-

  • Garry O'Connor

    association football player; association football coach

    Scottish association football player (born 1983)

    1983-

  • Garry Williamson Barnes

    association football player

    footballer (born 1982)

    1982-

  • Garry Thompson

    association football player

    English footballer (born 1980)

    1980-

  • Garry Purdham

    rugby league player

    British rugby league player

    1978-2010

  • Garry Shephard

    association football player; association football coach

    Welsh footballer (born 1976)

    1976-

  • Garry Walker

    conductor

    Scottish conductor

    1974-

Related

Names similar to Garry

FAQ

Garry: questions and answers

How popular is the name Garry in the UK right now?

In 2023, Garry was ranked #4991 for boys in England and Wales, with 3 births registered.

When was Garry most popular?

The peak year on record was 1996, with 29 babies registered as Garry in England and Wales.

What is the meaning and origin of Garry?

Of German and English origin, a variant spelling of Gary, meaning spear or lance carrier.

How many people are called Garry in the UK?

A total of 240 babies have been registered as Garry across the 26 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 2,483 more in Scotland and 6 in Northern Ireland.

Where is Garry most common?

In the latest published local rankings, Garry ranks best in Northern Ireland, where it placed #281 in 2002. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.

Which records is this page based on?

The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.