Gary (given name)

Infobox Given Name Revised
name = Gary


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gender = Male
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footnotes = The name Gary is derived from the word spear in Old English & Germanic languages, and used to describe a "spear thrower."

The usage of Gary as a male given name in America is interestingly intertwined with the success of the actor Gary Cooper. According to the Social Security Administration, Gary was relatively rare as a given name in the 1900-1920s period (e.g., in the 1910s it was the 677th most frequent name, given to less than 0.01% of the babies born in that decade). However, when the actor's Gary, Indiana-born agent Nan Collins told him to change his name (then Frank Cooper) to Gary, this name's popularity soared. In the 1930s, 0.38% of the male babies in America were named Gary, and in the 1950s as many as 1.54% of the male babies were given this name, making it the 12th most popular given name of that decade. The name Gary reached its record popularity (9th place) in 1954, the year after Gary Cooper received his Best Actor Academy Award for his leading role in High Noon. Since then, the popularity of Gary as a given name in America has been on a very slow, but steady decline. In the 1990s, this name is the 170th most popular, given to around 0.1% of newborn males.

The name Gary can also be a variant of similar names, such as the Welsh "Gareth", Garrie or Garry.

References

* [http://www.ssa.gov/OACT/babynames/ Social Security Administration - Popular Baby Names]