Gary
From an English surname that descends from a Norman personal name containing the Germanic element gar, 'spear'. The actor Gary Cooper spread it in the twentieth century.
Gary in 2025
Gary was given to 201 babies in the United States in 2025, making it the 2,202nd most popular name of the year. That is roughly one in every 16,494 babies born.
The history of Gary
Gary reached its highest point in 1952, when 38,839 babies were given the name, ranking 16th that year. Its best-ever ranking was 15th, in 1950.
Across the 146 years of records since 1880, 905,438 babies have been named Gary. Half of them were born before 1955, which places the name's centre of gravity with the Baby Boomers.
Gary by decade
| Decade | Babies named Gary | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 54 | 1,197 |
| 1890s | 102 | 1,275 |
| 1900s | 142 | 1,237 |
| 1910s | 587 | 1,334 |
| 1920s | 1,574 | 509 |
| 1930s | 43,816 | 39 |
| 1940s | 218,409 | 19 |
| 1950s | 330,690 | 15 |
| 1960s | 166,727 | 33 |
| 1970s | 68,747 | 64 |
| 1980s | 40,564 | 119 |
| 1990s | 19,266 | 223 |
| 2000s | 8,879 | 545 |
| 2010s | 4,512 | 1,020 |
| 2020s | 1,369 | 1,693 |
Where Gary is heading
Gary has fallen 58% over the past decade, from 479 babies in 2015 to 201 in 2025.
That is less than 5% of its 1952 peak — Gary is now a rare name in the United States.
Names like Gary
Names that rose and fell at the same time as Gary.