Gary Family History

14-Day Free Trial

GET STARTED

Gary Name Meaning

English: variant of Geary 2. Irish: reduced form of McGary. Respelling of Swiss German Gehri or Gehry, variants of Gehr.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names ©2013, Oxford University Press


Similar surnames: Gery, Geary, Gory, Garey, Gara, Garr, Garl, Vary, Garry, Cary

Ready to discover your family story?

Simply start with yourself and we'll do the searching for you.

NEW

Gary Ethnicity Estimate

What are the common regions with the Gary name?

These results combine data from everyone in the AncestryDNA® database with the last name Gary. The Ancestry® ethnicity regions shown are top five most common on average for these people.

Explore the full experience here

  • England & Wales

    38%

  • Ireland & Scotland

    14%

  • Cameroon, Congo, & Southern Bantu Peoples

    9%

  • Benin/Togo

    7%

  • Germanic Europe

    6%

Your own DNA-based ethnicity estimate will differ from what you see here. To get your personalized ethnicity estimate, order an AncestryDNA® kit.order an AncestryDNA® kit.

Order a DNA Kit Today

Gary Family Origin

Where is the Gary family from?

Mapbox
© Mapbox © OpenStreetMap Improve this map
1840
    1920
    You can see how Gary families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Gary family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Gary families were found in the USA in 1880. In 1840 there were 31 Gary families living in New York. This was about 17% of all the recorded Gary's in the USA. New York had the highest population of Gary families in 1840.
    Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Gary surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

    View Census Data for Gary

    Gary Family Occupations

    What did your Gary ancestors do for a living?

    In 1880, Farmer, Laborer and Farm Laborer were the top 3 reported jobs worked by Gary. The most common Gary occupation in the USA was Farmer. 33% of Gary's were Farmers. A less common occupation for the Gary family was Keeping House.

    View Census data for Gary | Data not to scale

    • Farmer

      33%

    • Laborer

      13%

    • Farm Laborer

      9%

    • Keeping House

      5%

    Census records can tell you a lot of little known facts about your Gary ancestors, such as occupation. Occupation can tell you about your ancestor's social and economic status.

    Gary Historical Records

    What Gary family records will you find?

    Census Record

    There are 87,000 census records available for the last name Gary. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Gary census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

    Search 1940's US census records for Gary

    Passenger List

    There are 6,000 immigration records available for the last name Gary. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the USA, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

    View all Gary immigration records

    Draft Card

    There are 27,000 military records available for the last name Gary. For the veterans among your Gary ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

    View all Gary military records

    You've only scratched the surface of Gary family history.

    Discover More

    Gary Life Expectancy

    What is the average Gary lifespan?

    Between 1941 and 2004, in the United States, Gary life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1941, and highest in 2002. The average life expectancy for Gary in 1941 was 32, and 71 in 2004.

    View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Gary

    An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Gary ancestors lived in harsh conditions. A short lifespan might also indicate health problems that were once prevalent in your family. The SSDI is a searchable database of more than 70 million names. You can find birthdates, death dates, addresses and more.

    Famous Gary Family Ancestors

    Discover the unique achievements of ancestors in your family tree

    Famous ancestors img
    Look up another name