Avery
Avery is usually an English surname from a medieval personal name, though some lineages may also connect to Norman place-names or older Germanic roots.
The #878 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 7,804 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The best-known explanation is that Avery means “son of Avery,” with Avery itself coming from a medieval given name. That personal name is usually traced to Old French and earlier Germanic elements, and some older scholars also connected the surname with place-names or with forms related to Every/Avril. Because the surname appears in more than one spelling tradition, it may have multiple independent origins.
History
English records show Avery in medieval and early modern forms such as Avory, Auvrey, and Averson. Bardsley notes that the name was well represented in the United States, especially around Boston, reflecting early colonial migration. Some 19th-century writers also suggested a Norman connection through Evreux, but the surname’s history is not entirely single-source or straightforward.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
An early modern record cited by Bardsley mentions Jacob Avery and George Avery sailing for Virginia, showing the name in transatlantic use quite early.
From the historical record
“AVERANCE. Avranchcs. SeeAbrincis. AVERY. This is a name which may claim its origin with nearly equal probal dlit j' from several distinct sources, which I shall brielly enumerate. I. ^lr?rtr/?;s, akeepcr of the birds. Tlie Forest Cliarter (s. If,) enacts that freemen may have in their woods BAG 15”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom