Gary vs Perry
Gary and Perrycompared on official birth-registration statistics and Namewise's recorded data. This page states what each name's record shows — it never picks a winner or scores one name against the other.
Head to head
Ranks are only compared within one published list and one year. Two ranks from different years, from a boys' and a girls' list, or from different registrars are not comparable, so they are not placed side by side.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
In 1959, Gary was ranked #15 and Perry #95 among boys in New South Wales, Australia.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2024, Gary was ranked #2671 and Perry #1675 among boys in England and Wales.
Gary and Perry over time
Gary and Perry appear together in 1 published list, across 29 years of shared records. Gary held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Perry in 0.
The order between them changed and held in one of those lists — a change in that published list, never a claim that one name displaced the other.
Counted list by list. Two names in the same published list are measured on the same scale in the same year, so those comparisons are real — but positions from different lists are not, so nothing here is combined into an overall standing.
How this pair is related
The relationship kinds these two qualify for, each under its own stated rule. Every one is drawn from a list they both appear in.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Gary and Perry changed places 9 times in England and Wales · Boys between 1996 and 2024, ending at #2671 and #1675.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in England and Wales · Boys within 2 years — Gary #147 in 1996, Perry #220 in 1996.
List by list
England and Wales · Boys29 shared years, 1996–2024
Gary held the stronger position in 22 of those years, Perry in 6.
Highest recorded here: Gary #147 in 1996, Perry #220 in 1996.
The order changed in 2022: Perry moved ahead. In 2021 they stood at #1329 and #1391; by 2022 that had become #2018 and #1609.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Gary #2671, Perry #1675.
Two names moving past each other in a ranking is a fact about the ranking. Namewise does not claim one name displaced the other, that families chose between them, or that either influenced the other — none of that is in this data.
Side by side
| Field | Gary | Perry |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Official statistical record (evidence-only) |
| Gender usage | male | male |
| Meaning | An English surname originally a short form of Norman given names beginning with the Old German element 'ger' ('spear'). Adopted as a stage name by actor Gary Cooper, after Gary, Indiana. | Not yet recorded |
| Origin | Germanic (surname origin) | Not yet recorded |
| Pronunciation | /ˈɡæɹ.i/ | Not yet recorded |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NZ | AU-NSW, GB-ENW |
| Most recent popularity observation | Scotland · Boys #619 (2024) | England and Wales · Boys #1675 (2024) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 94/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 60/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Gary has a recorded origin (Germanic (surname origin)); Perry does not have one recorded yet.
- Gary and Perry both have 2 syllables.
- A meaning is recorded for Gary; Perry doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in AU-NSW, GB-ENW.
How each name got here
Gary
Popularity journey
First recorded1952
First recorded at #8 among boys in New South Wales, Australia in 1952 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
Highest recorded1952–1984
Highest recorded position: #8 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 1952 (recorded 1952–1984).
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
Most recent2024
Most recently recorded at #2671 among boys in England and Wales, in 2024.
England and Wales · Boys
Perry
Popularity journey
First recorded1996
First recorded at #220 among boys in England and Wales in 1996 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
England and Wales · Boys
Most recent2024
Most recently recorded at #1675 among boys in England and Wales, in 2024.
England and Wales · Boys