Avery (given name)
Avery is traditionally a male given name which was originally an Old English surname that was itself derived from an Old French pronunciation of the name Alfred[1] or the Ancient Germanic name Alberich.[2] The meaning of the name is derived from the Old English words aelf, meaning elf, and ric, meaning king, power.[2]
Pronunciation | /ˈeɪvəri/ AY-vər-ee |
---|---|
Gender | Masculine |
Language(s) | Old French |
Origin | |
Meaning | "Elf King" (from French) "Powerful King" (from English) |
Other names | |
See also | Alfred, Alf, Alberich, Abery |
Avery is originally a boys' name in England, France and Germany but has recently become a girls' name in the US, sometimes with the feminine alternative spelling Averie/Averi.[3][3] The name Avery was the 634th most common given name for males in the United States in the 1910 census and dates back to the 16th century when it was modified from Alfred.[4] In 1989 the feminine version was created and in 2014 it was the thirteenth most popular girl's name in the US.[3]
Notable people with the name include:
- Avery Brooks an American actor, best known for his role as Benjamin Sisko in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.
- Avery Storm, an R&B Singer.
- Avery Fisher, the founder of Fisher Electronics.
- Avery Brundage, who is president of the International Olympic Committee.
Notable fictional characters named Avery are Avery Arable from Charlotte's Web, Avery Barkley from Nashville, and Avery, character from the Harry Potter series.
List of people with this given name
- William Avery Bishop (1894–1956), Canadian flying ace of the First World War, Victoria Cross recipient, and Air Marshal
- Avery Blake, American college lacrosse player and coach
- Avery Bourne, Republican member Illinois House of Representatives
- Avery Bradley (born 1990), American professional basketball player
- Avery Brooks (born 1948), American actor, director, singer, and educator
- Avery Brundage (1887–1975), the fifth President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), 1952–1972
- Alfred Avery Burnham (1819–1879), U.S. Representative from Connecticut
- Avery Cardoza, American author, professional gambler and publisher
- Adelaide Avery Claflin (1846–1931), American woman suffragist and ordained minister
- Avery Claflin (1898–1979), American composer who studied law and business and pursued a career in banking
- Avery Bailey Clark, fictional character from the American CBS Daytime soap opera The Young and the Restless
- Avery Clayton (1947–2009), established a library and museum to house African American artefacts
- William Avery Cochrane (1842–1929), member of the Wisconsin State Assembly
- Elizabeth Avery Colton (1872–1924), educator and an advocate for women's colleges
- Avery Corman (born 1935), American novelist
- Nicole Avery Cox (born 1978), American actress and comedy writer
- Elisha Avery Crary (1905–1978), United States District Judge of the United States District Court
- Avery Craven (1885–1980), American historian who wrote about the nineteenth-century United States
- Charles Avery Doremus (1851–1925), United States chemist
- Avery Dulles, S.J. (1918–2008), Jesuit priest, theologian, and Cardinal of the Catholic Church
- Charles Avery Dunning, PC (1885–1958), Canadian businessman, politician, university chancellor
- Avery E. Field (1883–1955), photographer in Riverside, California
- Avery Fisher (1906–1994), amateur violinist, founder of Fisher Electronics
- Avery Garrett (1916–1988), American politician in the state of Washington
- Avery Gilbert, self-described "smell scientist" and "sensory psychologist"
- Avery Haines (born 1966), Canadian television journalist
- Avery Hopwood (1882–1928), American playwright of the Jazz Age
- Richard Avery Hornsby, Sunderland military figure from the 18th century
- Alan Avery Allen Horsley, retired Anglican priest and author in the 20th century
- Avery Jenkins (born 1978), American professional disc golfer
- Avery John CM (born 1975), Trinidadian soccer player
- Avery Johnson (born 1965), American basketball coach
- Frederick Avery Johnson (1833–1893), American politician and banker
- Francis Avery Jones FRCP(1910–1998), Welsh physician and gastroenterologist
- Isaiah Avery Jones (born 1995), American football wide receiver
- Avery Kay, United States Air Force colonel, designer of the A-10 Warthog
- Avery Kier (1905–1987), United States Marine Corps aviator and general officer
- G. Avery Lee (1916–2008), Southern Baptist and American Baptist preacher
- Max Avery Lichtenstein, American record producer, composer and songwriter
- Avery Lipman, American music industry executive
- John Avery Lomax (1867–1948), American teacher, a pioneering musicologist and folklorist
- Elias Avery Lowe (1879–1969), Jewish–American palaeographer
- C. Avery Mason (1904–1970), bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Dallas
- Gerald Avery Mays (1939–1994), American football player and defensive lineman
- Edward Avery McIlhenny (1872–1949), American businessman, explorer, bird bander and conservationist
- John Avery McIlhenny (1867–1942), American businessman, soldier, politician and public servant
- Avery Bryan Morris (born 1987), American retired professional baseball pitcher
- Avery Moss (born 1994), American football outside linebacker
- Avery Ng (born 1976), Hong Kong politician and social activist
- Avery Paraiso (born 1994), Filipino-Irish commercial model and actor
- Avery Parrish (1917–1959), American jazz pianist, composer and arranger
- Avery Patterson, American football safety
- Harry Avery Reid OBE FRSE FRCVS (1877–1947), British veterinarian, bacteriologist and pathologist
- Avery Robinson (1878–1965), American classical composer
- Avery Rockefeller (1903–1986), American investment banker and conservationist
- Percy Avery Rockefeller (1878–1934), board director, founder of Owenoke Corporation
- William Avery Rockefeller (1810–1906), American businessman, lumberman and salesman
- Michael Avery Ross (born 1961), American businessman and politician
- Avery Saltzman, Canadian actor and theater director
- Avery Scharer (born 1986), Filipino-American professional basketball player
- Avery Schreiber (1935–2002), American comedian and actor
- Avery W. Severance (1819–1874), American farmer and politician from New York
- Avery Sharpe (born 1954), American jazz double-bassist
- Avery Judd Skilton M.D. (1802–1858), American physician and naturalist
- Avery Skinner (1796–1876), American politician from New York
- Avery Stafford (born 1965), gospel and R&B vocalist from the United States
- Avery Storm (born 1981), American R&B singer
- Laura Avery Sumner, fictional character from the CBS soap opera Knots Landing
- Earl Avery Thompson (1891–1967), American engineer and inventor
- Gladys Avery Tillett (1891–1984), American political organizer and activist based in North Carolina
- Avery C. Upchurch (1928–1994), Mayor of Raleigh, North Carolina from 1983 to 1993
- Bruce Avery Van Voorhis (1908–1943), United States Navy aviator who was shot down during World War II
- Avery Warley (born 1987), American professional basketball player
- Avery Williams (born 1994), gridiron football linebacker
- Avery Williamson (born 1992), American football linebacker
- Avery Wilson (born 1995), American singer-songwriter and dancer
- Avery Young (born 1992), American football tackle
- George Avery Young (1866–1900), English-born international rugby player and cricketer
Fictional characters
- Avery Brown, Murphy Brown's son; also Murphy’s deceased mother on the sitcom Murphy Brown
- Avery Bullock, in the TV show American Dad!, voiced by Patrick Stewart
- Avery Bailey Clark, in the soap opera The Young and the Restless
- Avery Silas Barkley, a character in the ABC prime time drama Nashville
- Avery Carrington, a real estate tycoon in the video game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
- Avery Connor, a central character in Yoshitaka Amano and Greg Rucka's graphic novel Wolverine & Elektra: The Redeemer
- Avery Jessup, the wife of Jack Donaghy in the sitcom 30 Rock
- Avery Johnson, a character from the Halo series
- Avery Jennings, a character in the TV comedy Dog with a Blog
- Avery, Fern's brother in the book Charlotte's Web by E. B. White
- Avery Dixon, a central character in the Stephen King novel The Institute
- Avery Tolar, a character from legal thriller film The Firm
References
- Patrick Hanks; Kate Hardcastle; Flavia Hodges (2006). A Dictionary of First Names (2 ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780198610601.
- Justin Cord Hayes (18 December 2012). The Terrible Meanings of Names: Or Why You Shouldn't Poke Your Giselle with a Barry. Adams Media. ISBN 978-1-4405-5256-4.
- "Name Avery Meaning, Origin etc. - Both, Boy Names, Girl Names - Baby Name Avery". The Name Meaning. 2014-04-15. Retrieved 2020-03-12.
- Mike Campbell. "Behind the Name: Popularity for the name Avery". behindthename.com. Retrieved 2018-05-04.