Avery is traditionally a male given name which was originally an English language, Old English Avery (surname), surname that was itself derived from an Old French language, Old French pronunciation of the name Alfred (name), Alfred or the Ancient Germanic name Alberich. The name is derived from the Old English language, Old English words ''aelf'', meaning ''elf'', and ''ric'', meaning ''power/mighty/king/ruler'' and dates back to the 16th century.

Regional variations

Europe

Avery is originally a boys' name in England, France and Germany and dates back to the 16th century when it was modified from Alfred. The feminine form is rare in European countries but where found is usually used with the feminine alternative spelling Averie/Averi.

America

In 1989 Americans started using the name for girls and it is sometimes used with the feminine alternative spelling Averie/Averi. The name is now more popular for girls in the US and Canada.

Notable men with the given name

*Avery Alexander, Avery Caesar Alexander (1910–1999), American civil rights leader and Louisiana politician *Avery Anderson (born 1997), American politician *Avery Anderson III (born 2000), American basketball player *Avery August (born 1964), American scientist, vice provost at Cornell University *Avery Aylsworth (born 1996), American volleyball player *Avery Blake, American college lacrosse player and coach *Avery Bradley (born 1990), American professional basketball player *Avery Brooks (born 1948), American actor, director, singer, and educator best known for his role as Benjamin Sisko in ''Star Trek: Deep Space Nine'' *Avery Brundage (1887–1975), American sports administrator, President of the International Olympic Committee, 1952–1972 *Alfred Avery Burnham (1819–1879), U.S. Representative from Connecticut *Avery Cardoza, American author, professional gambler and publisher *Avery Claflin (1898–1979), American composer who studied law and business and pursued a career in banking *Avery Clayton (1947–2009), American nonprofit executive, established a library and museum to house African American artefacts *Avery Corman (born 1935), American novelist *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 *Avery Dulles, S.J. (1918–2008), American Jesuit priest, theologian, and Cardinal of the Catholic Church *Avery E. Field (1883–1955), photographer in Riverside, California *Avery Fisher (1906–1994), American businessman, founder of Fisher Electronics *Avery Garrett (1916–1988), American politician in the state of Washington *Avery Gilbert, American geneticist, self-described "smell scientist" and "sensory psychologist" *Avery Hopwood (1882–1928), American playwright of the Jazz Age *Richard Avery Hornsby, English military figure from the 18th century *Alan Avery Allen Horsley, British Anglican priest and author in the 20th century * Frank Avery Hutchins (1851–1914), American educator and librarian * Kid Howard, Avery "Kid" Howard (1908–1966), American jazz trumpeter associated with the New Orleans jazz scene *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 (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), Lithuanian–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 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 (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), American 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 (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 *Earl Avery Thompson (1891–1967), American engineer and inventor *Avery Trufelman, American podcaster and radio producer *Avery C. Upchurch (1928–1994), American politician *Avery Warley (born 1987), American professional basketball player *Avery Williams (disambiguation), multiple people *Avery Williamson (born 1992), American football linebacker *Avery Wilson (born 1995), American singer-songwriter and dancer *Avery Young (born 1992), American football player

Fictional male characters

*Avery, a Death Eater from the ''Harry Potter'' series *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 Silas Barkley, a character in the ABC prime time drama ''Nashville (2012 TV series), 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 Johnson, a Characters of Halo#Avery Johnson, character from the ''Halo'' series *Avery Arable, 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 (novel), The Institute'' *Avery Tolar, a character from 1993 film ''The Firm (1993 film), The Firm'' *Fitzroy Avery Vacker, a character from Shannon Messenger's Keeper of the Lost Cities book series

Notable women with the given name

*Avery Bourne, Republican member, Illinois House of Representatives *Nicole Avery Cox, American actress and comedy writer *Avery Haines, Canadian television journalist *Avery Yale Kamila, American journalist and community organizer *Avery Singer, American artist known for creating digitally assisted paintings *Avery Skinner (volleyball), Avery Skinner, American volleyball player

Fictional female characters

*Avery Bailey Clark, character from the American CBS Daytime soap opera ''The Young and the Restless'' *Dog with a Blog#Characters, Avery Jennings, character in the TV comedy ''Dog with a Blog'' *Avery Jessup, the wife of Jack Donaghy in the sitcom ''30 Rock'' *Avery Ryan, Ph.D., FBI Deputy Director in the drama series ''CSI'' *Laura Avery Sumner, character from the CBS soap opera ''Knots Landing''

References

{{Commons category-inline Masculine given names English-language unisex given names