Gary Name Meaning & Origin
Gary
Origin of the name Gary:
From the Old English Garwig (spear of battle), a compound name composed from the elements gar (a spear) and wig (battle). Alternatively, Gary developed as a pet form of any of the various names beginning with the Germanic element gar (spear). Var: Garry.
From A World of Baby Names by Teresa Norman.
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NameVoyager
US Popularity of Gary Over Time

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- Comments and insights on the name Gary
People with this name are smart and sexy and got big dicks
- Personal experiences with the name Gary
We just named our third son Gary. He was named after his grandpa, and has two older bros Pete and Nate. It is so funny to see and hear people's reactions to his name. People,who are the age of his grandpa and older, love the name. Younger people are not as big of fans. I love the name because he is the only baby or kid I know with the name, yet it is still a familiar name.
I like it, it's a strong, masculine name.
- Nicknames for Gary
Gar, G, Gaz, Garebear, Big G, Gary The Snail, G-man, Gazza, The big cheese
- Meanings and history of the name Gary
According to some sources, Gary comes from a Germanic root meaning "spear". However, the name was almost unknown (see NameVoyager graph) until the rise of charismatic actor Gary Cooper in the late 1920s. He was born Frank James Cooper. In 1925, he took the name Gary on the advice of casting director Nan Collins, who felt it evoked the "rough, tough" nature of her native Gary, Indiana. In the years that followed, Gary Cooper became a major film star and thousands of babies were named for him.
- Famous real-life people named Gary
Gary Lineker, former captain of England Football Team
Gary Oldman, English actor, writer and director.
Gary Sinise, American actor and film director
Gary Cooper, American western film actor and iconic star.
Gary Trudeau, American cartoonist (Doonesbury.)
Gary Larson, American cartoonist (Far Side.)
Sen. Gary Hart, former U.S. presidential candidate.
Gary Gambucci, American ice hockey forward.
Gary Cole, American actor.
Gary Coleman, American child actor.
Gary Paulsen, author of survival story Hatchet
Gary Dourdan, American actor.
Gary Busey, Actor
Gary "Gaz" Beadle, British reality star
Gary DelAbbate, radio producer- Gary in song, story & screen
Gary the Snail, character in the Spongebob Squarepants cartoon.
Gary Ewing, fictional character played by Ted Shackelford on the television shows "Knots Landing" and "Dallas."
"Dysentery Gary", a song by blink-182
"Gary, Indiana", a song from The Music Man.