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Gary

“Spear (short form of names like Gerard or Gerald)” — Germanic origin

Boy's name · #1073 in the US (2025) · Vintage

Gary has appeared in US records since 1880 — best rank #9 (1954) · 902,152 babies named Gary all-time · 1 in 8,300 boys born in 2025.

Around the world: about 1 in 6,500 boys in Scotland (2025).

Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 27 states. See the full state-by-state map on this page.

Famous Garys

• Gary Oldman — British actor and filmmaker (born 1958)
• Gary Cooper — American actor (1901–1961)
• Gary Lineker — English football pundit and former player
• Gary Sinise — American actor
• Gary Coleman — American actor (1968–2010)

In stories & tradition

• Gary the Snail — SpongeBob SquarePants · The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie
• Gary Oak — Pokémon
• Gary (Superintendent Chalmers) — The Simpsons · Skinner & the Superintendent

What Garys become

Among 4,343 notable people named Gary:

Athletes appear 2.07× more often than among typical names — e.g. Gary Lineker, English football pundit and former player.

Browse more boy names — popularity, trends and eras for 5,700+ American names, free.

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