Gary

• Garry (chiefly British)

• (Received Pronunciation) enPR: gărʹē IPA^(key): /ˈɡæɹɪ/
  • Rhymes: -æɹi
• (General American) enPR: gărʹē
  • (Mary–marry–merry distinction) IPA^(key): /ˈɡæɹi/

    • Audio (US)

      (file)

      (Mary–marry–merry distinction)
    • Rhymes: -æɹi
  • (Mary–marry–merry merger) IPA^(key): /ˈɡɛɹi/, /ˈɡeɹi/
    • Rhymes: -ɛɹi

Medieval short form of Germanic compound names beginning with gari (“spear”)/geri (“spear”), such as Gerard, Gerald, or Gerbert. Cognate with the Scottish and Irish Gaelic name Garaidh.

• The last-century popularity of the given name is due to the American actor Gary Cooper (1901–1961), whose stage name was invented by his agent, a native of Gary, Indiana.

Gary (countable and uncountable, plural Garys)

1. A surname from Middle English [in turn originating as a patronymic].
2. A city in Lake County, Indiana, and other US places named for persons with the surname Gary.
   • 1957 December 19, Meredith Willson (lyrics and music), “Gary, Indiana”, in The Music Man:

     Gary, Indiana!
     What a wonderful name
     Named for Elbert Gary of judiciary fame
     Gary, Indiana, as a Shakespeare would say
     Trips along softly on the tongue this way--

3. A city in Deuel County, South Dakota.
4. A male given name transferred from the surname, popular from the 1940s to the 1970s.
   • 1930, Irving Berlin (lyrics and music), “Puttin' On The Ritz”:

     Dressed up like a million dollar trooper / Trying hard to look like Gary Cooper

   • 1964 Anne Tyler: If Morning Ever Comes. Severn House 1983. page 52:

     "Gary's an awful name. Whatever he's like. It reminds me of a G.I. man with a crew cut, and 'Mom' tattooed on his chest, and lots of pin-up pictures on his wall."

From Gary Glitter.

Gary (plural Garys)

1. shortened form of Gary Glitter.

   He did him up the Gary, he did.

• Gray, Yarg, gray, gyra, yarg

From English Gary, from Germanic.

Gary

1. a male given name from English