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,^[3][4] meaning power/mighty/king/ruler and dates back to the 16th century^[2]

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.^[5] The feminine form is rare in European countries but where found is usually used with the feminine alternative spelling Averie/Averi.^[6]

America[]

In 1989 Americans started using the name for girls and it is sometimes used with the feminine alternative spelling Averie/Averi.^[6] The name is now more popular for girls in the US and Canada.^[6]

Notable men 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 best known for his role as Benjamin Sisko in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.
• 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
• Avery Claflin (1898–1979), American composer who studied law and business and pursued a career in banking
• 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
• 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
• 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 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
• Frank Avery Hutchins (1851-1914), American educator and librarian
• 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
• Earl Avery Thompson (1891–1967), American engineer and inventor
• 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
• 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 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
• Avery Tolar, a character from legal thriller film The Firm
• Fitzroy Avery Vacker, a character from Shannon Messenger's Keeper of the Lost Cities

Notable women with this given name[]

• Nicole Avery Cox , American actress and comedy writer
• Avery Haines , Canadian television journalist

Fictional female characters[]

• Avery Bailey Clark, fictional character from the American CBS Daytime soap opera The Young and the Restless
• Avery Jessup, the wife of Jack Donaghy in the sitcom 30 Rock
• Laura Avery Sumner, fictional character from the CBS soap opera Knots Landing
• Avery Jennings, a character in the TV comedy Dog with a Blog

References[]

Name list

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