Autry
A surname likely from a French place name, especially Autry in Champagne, with some forms possibly influenced by older Germanic names.
The #4,081 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 35,472 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The best-known explanation is that Autry is a shortened or altered form of French surnames like d'Autry or de Autry, meaning “from Autry,” a place name in France. One historical source connects it specifically with Autry in Champagne; another suggests the name may also have been influenced by an older Germanic personal name, such as Alterich/Autric. In practice, the surname is best treated as locational, though its deeper linguistic history is not completely certain.
History
The name appears in French records in forms such as Dautry and Autry, and it later crossed into English-language usage through migration and spelling simplification. In the United States it is best known as a relatively uncommon surname, carried by multiple unrelated families. The spelling without the prefix de/d' is a common anglicized outcome for French surnames.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
A 19th-century authority treated Dautry as a contraction of de Autry, showing how French place-based surnames could lose their prepositions over time.
From the historical record
“grant from Holland. DAUTRY. (Fr.) A corruption of De Autry or D' Autry, that is, from Autry, a town in Champagne, France. DAYENPORT. Local Derived from the town of Daven- port, in Cheshire, England, so called from the river Dan or Daven (which name signifies ' a river), and port, a haven or”
— An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names