Etymology & Historical Origin of the Baby Name Jerry

Jerry is most commonly thought of as a short form of Gerald, however, it could also be considered the diminutive of Jeremiah, Jeremy, Jerome or Jermaine (or any name that starts with the same “Jer-“ sound for that matter). Therefore, the name’s meaning is dependent upon which of the many traditional names the parent has in mind when selecting Jerry as an independently given name. For instance, Gerald comes from Germanic words meaning ‘rule of the spear.’ Jeremiah and Jeremy are Hebrew names meaning ‘appointed by God’ and Jerome is Greek for ‘sacred name’. Lastly, Jermaine is derived from an old Latin nickname (Germanus) meaning ‘brother’. As a stand-alone given name, Jerry is mainly used in the United States. It has also had a history of being a unisex name, such as Texan supermodel and former wife of Mick Jagger, Jerry Hall.

All About the Baby Name – Jerry

Personality

OF THE BOY NAME JERRY

The number Four personality is marked by stability and discipline. This is the personality that follows the rules and is conservative by nature.  They have an earth-bound energy that prefers to build things methodically on top of firm foundations; they don't cut corners. Fours take their time and don't like to be hurried. But the outcome of their endeavors is likely to result in some strong and useful structure, which makes them great engineers and inventors. Fours are anything but frivolous or controversial. This is a trustworthy, straight-forward personality that embodies dedication and organization. They are the backbone and anchor in their relationships, careers and communities. They are tidy, punctual, and full of integrity. Hard-work comes naturally to a Four and they are immensely reliable. This is the personality you can always count on.

Popularity

OF THE BOY NAME JERRY

Jerry has been used as an independently given name for well over 100 years in the United States. Not only that, but Jerry has been a relatively popular choice as a stand-alone name not necessarily connected to Gerald or Jerome or any other name. Furthermore, during the 1930s, 40s and 50s, it wasn’t unusual for parents to bestow this simple, androgynous name upon their little girls either. Today, however, Jerry is back to being a mainly masculine name. The height of this name’s popularity came between the 1930s and 1960s, when for 40 straight years, Jerry was a Top 50 most popular choice for boys (during the 1940s, he was a Top 20 name). In fact, it was the 1940s when Jerry Mouse was created by Hanna-Barbera as the delightfully confident little house mouse who was quite capable of besting his rival Tom Cat in the cartoon series “Tom & Jerry”. Jerry (like Larry, Donald and Dennis) is a distinctly mid-century name. They take us back to the day when fathers went off to work and mothers stayed home and baked cookies while the children played Kick-the-Can on tree-lined streets. In other words, Jerry feels a little outdated for youngsters of today; simpler nicknames and pet forms have taken his place (Alex, Sam, Ben, Jack). Jerry sounds better when paired with the right middle name, such as Jerry Lee Lewis or Jerry Lee Rice (Jerry Ray sounds nice, too).

Quick Facts

ON JERRY

GENDER:

Boy

ORIGIN:

American

NUMBER OF SYLLABLES:

2

RANKING POPULARITY:

450

PRONUNCIATION:

JAIR-ee

SIMPLE MEANING:

See Below

Characteristics

OF JERRY

Dependable

Solid

Practical

Hard-working

Industrious

Studious

Conservative

Cultural References to the Baby Name – Jerry

Literary Characters

OF THE BABY NAME JERRY

We cannot find any significant literary characters by the name of Jerry

Childrens Books

ON THE BABY NAME JERRY

We cannot find any childrens books with the first name Jerry


Popular Songs

ON JERRY

Set the Ray to Jerry
a song by Smashing Pumpkins

A Casa Di Jerry
a song by Alexia

Did You Hear About Jerry
a song by Harry Belafonte

Jerry
a song by Harry Belafonte

Jerry Jermaine
a song by Virginia Coalition

Jerry Rules in the Land of the Free
a song by Heideroosjes

Jerry Springer
a song by Weird Al Yankovic

Jerry Was a Racecar Driver
a song by Primus

Jerry Was There
a song by Kula Shaker

Jerry, Stand Up
a song by Something For Kate

The Other Jerry Jeff
a song by Jerry Jeff Walker

Famous People

NAMED JERRY

Jerome “Jerry” Seinfeld (comedian/actor)
Jerome “Jerry” Garcia (musician)
Jerry Rice (football player)
Jerry Hall (supermodel)
Gerald “Jerry” Springer (TV personality)
Jerry Cantrell (musician)
Jerry Lee Lewis (musician)
Jerry Van Dyke (actor)
Jerome “Jerry” Orbach (actor)
Jerry Falwell (religious)
Jeremiah “Jerry” O'Connell (actor)
Jerry Lewis (comedian/actor)
Gerald “Jerry” Mathers (child actor)
Gerald “Jerry” Stiller (actor)
Edmund Gerald “Jerry” Brown (politician)
Jerry Lucas (basketball player)
Jerry West (basketball player)
Jerome “Jerry” Seinfeld (comedian/actor)
Jerome “Jerry” Garcia (musician)
Jerry Rice (football player)
Jerry Hall (supermodel)
Gerald “Jerry” Springer (TV personality)
Jerry Cantrell (musician)
Jerry Lee Lewis (musician)
Jerry Van Dyke (actor)
Jerome “Jerry” Orbach (actor)
Jerry Falwell (religious)
Jeremiah “Jerry” O'Connell (actor)
Jerry Lewis (comedian/actor)
Gerald “Jerry” Mathers (child actor)
Gerald “Jerry” Stiller (actor)
Edmund Gerald “Jerry” Brown (politician)
Jerry Lucas (basketball player)
Jerry West (basketball player)
Jerome “Jerry” Seinfeld (comedian/actor)
Jerome “Jerry” Garcia (musician)
Jerry Rice (football player)
Jerry Hall (supermodel)
Gerald “Jerry” Springer (TV personality)
Jerry Cantrell (musician)
Jerry Lee Lewis (musician)
Jerry Van Dyke (actor)
Jerome “Jerry” Orbach (actor)
Jerry Falwell (religious)
Jeremiah “Jerry” O'Connell (actor)
Jerry Lewis (comedian/actor)
Gerald “Jerry” Mathers (child actor)
Gerald “Jerry” Stiller (actor)
Edmund Gerald “Jerry” Brown (politician)
Jerry Lucas (basketball player)
Jerry West (basketball player)

Children of Famous People

NAMED JERRY

We cannot find any children of famous people with the first name Jerry

Historic Figures

WITH THE NAME JERRY

We cannot find any historically significant people with the first name Jerry