2000
#90,252
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 190
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.07
Very Rare Last name
Avary
A French surname derived from the Old French word "avarie", meaning havoc or damage, possibly referring to an occupation or location.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 247 Americans carry the last name Avary. That puts it at #91,884 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.07 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,387,669 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Avary surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
247
1 in 1,387,669
Census rank
#91,884
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
215
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 215 bearers of the surname Avary in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.07 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 91884th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Avary, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.8%) and Two or More Races (7.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Avary
The surname Avary is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old French word "aveir," which means "property" or "possessions." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who owned or managed property or livestock.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Avary can be found in the Domesday Book, a great survey of land and property conducted in 1086 by order of William the Conqueror. The name appears in various spellings, such as "Averi" and "Averie."
In the 12th century, the name Avary was documented in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire, where it was spelled "Avari." This record suggests that the name was present in the region during that time.
The name Avary has also been linked to place names, such as Avery Farm in Wiltshire, which was recorded in the 13th century. This connection further reinforces the association of the name with land and property ownership.
Notable individuals with the surname Avary include:
1. William Avary (c. 1300 - c. 1360), an English landowner and knight who served in the Hundred Years' War under Edward III.
2. John Avary (c. 1450 - c. 1520), a wealthy merchant and alderman in the City of London during the Tudor period.
3. Elizabeth Avary (c. 1570 - c. 1640), an English writer and poet who published a collection of religious poetry titled "Meditations Divine and Morall" in 1627.
4. Sir Richard Avary (c. 1610 - 1685), a prominent English politician and member of Parliament during the reign of Charles II.
5. Samuel Avary (1672 - 1744), an English clergyman and author who wrote several religious works, including "The Voice of God to the Soul" (1710).
The surname Avary continues to be present in various parts of England, particularly in the counties of Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, and Somerset, where it has historical roots. While the name has evolved in spelling over time, its connection to land ownership and wealth remains a part of its etymology.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Avary
Among Census respondents with the surname Avary, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.8%) and Two or More Races (7.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Avary bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Avary surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White73.0% · 157
- Hispanic or Latino9.8% · 21
- Two or more races7.9% · 17
- Black or African American7.0% · 15
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.4% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Avary
Avary appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#83,541
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 225
+35 bearers (+18.4%)
Per 100,000 0.08
Rank movement Up 6,711 places
2020
#91,884
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 215
-10 bearers (-4.4%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Down 8,343 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #90,252 | 190 | 0.07 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #83,541 | 225 | 0.08 | +35 bearers (+18.4%) | Up 6,711 places |
| 2020 | #91,884 | 215 | 0.07 | -10 bearers (-4.4%) | Down 8,343 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Avary surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #83,541 | #91,884 | -10.0% |
| Count | 225 | 215 | -4.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.08 | 0.07 | -10.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Avary bearers went from 225 to 215 (-4.4% change). The surname moved down 8,343 positions in the national ranking, going from #83,541 to #91,884.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Avary
FAQ
Avary surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Avary?
Name Census estimates that about 247 living Americans carry the surname Avary. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,387,669 residents.
How common is Avary?
Avary ranks #91,884 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.07 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 215 people with the surname Avary. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (247), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.07 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.07 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Avary.
Has Avary become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Avary went from 225 recorded bearers to 215. That is a decrease of 10 (-4.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #83,541 to #91,884.
What does the Census say about the background of Avary?
Among Census respondents with the surname Avary, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.8%) and Two or More Races (7.9%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Avary in the 2020 Census, accounting for 73.0% (157 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Avary appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (73.0%), Hispanic (9.8%), Two or More Races (7.9%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Avary (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Avary mean?
A French surname derived from the Old French word "avarie", meaning havoc or damage, possibly referring to an occupation or location. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Avary (0.07 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the last name Avary?
Find out how many Americans have the surname Avary on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.