Avery
Avery is a unisex name of English origin meaning “ruler of elves, counsel of elves.” It ranked #29 in the United States in 2025. An English surname derived from the Norman French form of the Germanic name Alfred or Aubrey.
how do you pronounce Avery?
AY-ver-ee
Hear it spoken aloud with our AI pronunciation tool.
what does Avery mean?
The name Avery means “ruler of elves, counsel of elves.” It comes from the English language tradition.
An English surname derived from the Norman French form of the Germanic name Alfred or Aubrey. It transitioned from a male surname to a popular unisex given name in the late 20th century, particularly popular for girls in the United States.
where does the name Avery come from?
An English surname descended from the Norman French Alfred or from the Germanic Alberich, meaning elf ruler or elf counsel. The elf element is not decorative — in Germanic belief elves were powerful beings whose favour mattered, so the name claims supernatural backing.
the history of Avery
Alberich appears in the Nibelungenlied as the dwarf guarding the hoard, and Wagner drew on him for the Ring cycle. The surname reached America early and converted to a given name there in the late twentieth century, shifting decisively toward girls in the 1990s while remaining in use for boys — one of the more evenly balanced unisex names in current use.
how popular is this name?
| Year | Rank |
|---|---|
| 2024 | #29 |
| 2023 | #27 |
| 2022 | #25 |
| 2021 | #24 |
| 2020 | #22 |
Source: SSA National Baby Names Dataset
what are the nicknames and variants of Avery?
Nicknames
Variants around the world
who are famous people named Avery?
- Avery Brooks (actor)
- Avery Johnson (basketball coach)
what names are similar to Avery?
what names go well with Avery?
Sibling names that share Avery's rhythm and register without echoing it too closely.
Last reviewed April 30, 2026 · Curated by HushName editorial
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