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

Terry, 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 Terry surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Terry in America

Terry is the 361st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Terry surname appeared 87,000 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 29 people would have the surname Terry.

We can also compare 2010 data for Terry 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 Terry

The surname Terry originated in medieval England, deriving from an Old French word "terrier" which referred to someone who worked on land or cultivated the soil. It is believed to have emerged around the 12th century in the regions of Normandy and Brittany in France.

Terry is thought to be an occupational surname, initially given to individuals who worked as farmers, land workers, or held positions related to the management of estates or land holdings. The name's earliest known recording dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Terrie" and "Terricus".

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Terry surname can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1190, which mentions a "Radulphus Terri". Another early record is from the Curia Regis Rolls of Northamptonshire in 1207, listing a "Willelmus Teri".

The surname Terry has undergone various spelling variations over the centuries, including Terrey, Terri, Tery, Torry, and Torrey. These variations often reflected regional dialects and local pronunciations.

Notable historical figures with the surname Terry include:

1. Edward Terry (1590-1668), an English traveler and writer who published a travelogue about his journey to India in the 17th century.
2. Samuel Terry (1779-1838), an English inventor and manufacturer who pioneered the development of the first successful crimping machine for textiles.
3. Alfred Howe Terry (1827-1890), an American soldier who served as a Union general during the American Civil War and later played a role in the Great Sioux War of 1876-1877.
4. Milton Spenser Terry (1840-1914), an American Methodist theologian and author who wrote extensively on biblical hermeneutics and Christian doctrine.
5. Ellen Terry (1847-1928), a renowned English stage actress who became one of the leading Shakespearean performers of her time.

The Terry surname has been associated with various place names in England, such as Terry's Green in Suffolk, Terry's Hill in Staffordshire, and Terry's Leys in Worcestershire, indicating its longstanding presence in different regions of the country.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Terry

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

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 Terry 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 Terry 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 Terry was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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