Find out how popular the last name Dry is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Dry.

Dry, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Dry surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Dry in America

Dry is the 12921st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Dry surname appeared 2,379 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Dry.

We can also compare 2010 data for Dry to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Dry

The surname Dry is believed to have originated in England, dating back to the medieval period. It is thought to be a topographic name, derived from the Old English word "dryge," meaning dry or arid. This name would have been given to someone who lived in a particularly dry or arid region.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Dry can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of landholdings and resources in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name appears in various spellings, such as "Dryge" and "Drigg," indicating its early origins.

During the 13th century, the surname Dry was particularly prevalent in the counties of Lancashire and Yorkshire, where several places bear the name "Dry" or variations of it, likely referring to the dry or arid nature of the area. For instance, the village of Dry Sands in Lancashire is believed to have been named after its dry, sandy soil.

One notable figure bearing the surname Dry was John Dry, a 14th-century English philosopher and theologian who was active at the University of Oxford. He was born around 1330 and is known for his writings on logic and metaphysics.

In the 16th century, the name Dry appeared in the records of the Merchant Taylors' Company in London, suggesting that individuals with this surname were involved in the textile trade during that period.

Another historical figure of note was Sir Richard Dry, an English soldier and politician who lived during the 17th century. He served as a Member of Parliament for the borough of Taunton in Somerset and was involved in the English Civil War, supporting the Parliamentarian cause.

The surname Dry also has connections to Scotland, where it is believed to have derived from the Gaelic word "drùidh," meaning a druid or wise man. In this context, the name may have been initially used as a descriptive term for a person with exceptional knowledge or wisdom.

During the 18th century, the Dry surname was found in various regions of England, including Yorkshire, Lancashire, and Oxfordshire. One notable individual from this period was William Dry, a prominent English architect who was born in 1750 and designed several notable buildings in London and its surrounding areas.

Throughout history, the Dry surname has been subject to various spellings, such as "Drye," "Drygh," and "Dryge," reflecting the evolution of language and regional variations in pronunciation and spelling conventions.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Dry

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Dry.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Dry was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Dry has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Dry was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Dry, please contact us.

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!