Gary is likely derived from the Norman French name Geiree, itself descended from the Old Frankish[1] name Geiserich, composed of two elements: "*gaizaz" (spear, pike, javelin) plus "*rīkijaz" (kingly, royal).

[3] Because of the "Gare" sound at the beginning in American English, Gary is sometimes incorrectly thought to be a diminutive of Garrett, although the names are unrelated.

The theatrical agent Nan Collins, who lived in this town, suggested the name Gary to Frank Cooper, one of her clients, who went on to have a successful film career as Gary Cooper.

The name reached its record popularity (9th place) in 1954, the year after Cooper received his Best Actor Academy Award for his leading role in High Noon.

Since then, the popularity of Gary as a given name in the United States has been on a slow but steady decline.