Surname Kerry - Meaning and Origin
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Kerry: What does the surname Kerry mean?
Kerry is a surname of Irish origin. It is derived from the Irish Ó Ciaráin, which means 'descendant of Ciarán'. The personal name Ciarán was derived from ciar, which means "black" and signified dark features. It is the anglicized version of the Irish given name Ciarán, anglicized to Keiran and then Kerran.
The surname can be found almost exclusively in Ireland, particularly in County Kerry. It is one of the top 100 most common surnames in the country. During the nineteenth century, due to the Great Famine, many of those bearing the surname left the country and settled in the United States, Canada and England.
In modern times, there are many notable people with the surname Kerry, such as former United States Secretary of State John Kerry, politician Ted Kennedy, journalist Tim Russert, and actor Kevin Kline.
The surname Kerry is symbolic of Irish heritage and is a reminder of the Irish diaspora. It is a source of national pride and identity for many Irish people, references to the black-haired warrior Ciarán, and a testament to the resilience of those bearing the name through tough times.
Order DNA origin analysisKerry: Where does the name Kerry come from?
The last name Kerry is most common today in the counties of Kerry and Cork in the Republic of Ireland. As of the 2016 census, 4,000 people in Ireland carried the last name Kerry. Though it is most commonly found in the counties Kerry and Cork, the last name Kerry is also found more generally across Ireland. In Northern Ireland, Kerry was the 26th most frequent surname overall in the 2011 census. In Scotland, the name Kerry has also been established since the 1700s, though the last name now has a much lower frequency.
In the United States, the name Kerry is most common in states along the East Coast, with New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maine and Massachusetts making up the majority of states where Kerry is most frequently found. Though the last name can be found across the US, the 39th most frequently found surname according to the US Census Bureau in 2010, the greatest concentration of Irish immigrants carrying the Kerry name tends to be on the East Coast.
The Kerry name has also spread to areas outside of the United Kingdom and the United States, and people with the last name can now be found all over the world. With the rise of the internet, many people from the United States, Ireland, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and other countries with strong Irish diasporas have been able to reconnect with one another and trace their shared last name Kerry.
Variations of the surname Kerry
Kerry is a geographically specific surname that originates in either Ireland or England.
The most common spelling of the Kerry surname is that of the Irish version; Kerry. This spelling of the name is derived from the Gaelic spelling of “Ciarraí”, which translates to “descendants of Ciar”. Ciar was a tribal figure from the 4th century in Ireland.
Variants and spellings of the name Kerry include Kerrie, Cary, Carrey and Caree, which are all derived from the base spelling of Kerry. The surname can also be found spelled Kerey, Keery, Kery, Korey and Koree. These variation spellings of the Kerry name are typically found within England, rather than Ireland.
Surnames of the same origin as Kerry include Carrey, Kerrigan and Kerwin. Variants of other surnames, such as Carney, O'Carr and O'Carre, are sometimes also found intermixed as part of the same family tree. These surnames all stemmed from the original Ciarraí spelling in Ireland and are the same descendent of Ciar.
The Irish version of the Kerry surname is now found around the world, with most Kerry’s found in countries such as England, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and America. The various spellings and surname variations remain most common to the locality of their origin; Ireland or England.
Famous people with the name Kerry
- John Kerry: Former U.S. Secretary of State and U.S. Senator from Massachusetts
- Teresa Heinz Kerry: philanthropist and heiress
- Maurice Kerry: British businessman and philanthropist
- Johnny Kerry: American hockey player
- Brian Kerry: American football lineman
- Kendra Kerry: actress
- Brenda Kerry: British author
- Matthew Kerry: Italian television presenter
- Finian Kerry: Irish musician
- Hannah Kerry: English fashion designer