Kerry

Kerry: name meaning, origin & popularity

Meaning: “people of Ciar”
Origin: Irish
Say it: KER-ee · 2 syllables
Used for: Both (49% girls, 51% boys since 1880)

Taken from County Kerry in Ireland, from Irish Ciarraí. The place-name means the people of Ciar, with Ciar meaning dark.

Irish names English names Classic names International names

How popular is Kerry?

202417.1 per million US babies

Drag the line or the slider to read any year. Values are per million US births recorded by Social Security. Records before about 1937 undercount births, so early peaks can look taller than they were.

Compare with another name

Babies named Kerry in 202457

2024 rank#2,676 boys

Peak year1971

Total US babies since 188098,563

Kerry is steady now but far below its 1971 peak.

Names like Kerry

Variants, related forms and names with the same roots.

Kerridark-haired · Irish
Keridark-haired · Irish
Kerriedark-haired · Irish
Rileyvaliant · Irish
Rowanlittle red-haired one · Irish
Quinndescendant of Conn · Irish
Roryred king · Irish
Lennonlover · Irish

Kerry questions

What does the name Kerry mean?

Kerry means "people of Ciar". It comes from Irish. Taken from County Kerry in Ireland, from Irish Ciarraí. The place-name means the people of Ciar, with Ciar meaning dark.

Is Kerry a boy or girl name?

Kerry is used for both: about 49% of US babies named Kerry since 1880 were girls.

How popular is Kerry?

57 US babies were named Kerry in 2024. Its peak year was 1971.

How do you pronounce Kerry?

Kerry is usually pronounced KER-ee.

Birth counts: US Social Security Administration national data, 1880–2024 (names given to 5+ babies of a sex in a year). How we write meanings.