Embry
A surname of uncertain origin, probably from an old personal name rather than a place or occupation.
The #4,092 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 35,590 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The historical dictionaries do not agree on a single secure derivation for Embry. One line of scholarship treats it as related to older Germanic personal names such as Ambricho or Embricho, while another points to French forms like Embry or Empaire that may themselves reflect older naming patterns. In practice, Embry is best understood as an old surname formed from a medieval given name or nickname of uncertain exact root.
History
The name appears in English records by the 18th century, and the provided sources show it in London and elsewhere in Britain. It also occurs in the United States, where it remains relatively uncommon. Because the etymology is obscure and the surviving dictionary notices are brief, the surname is usually treated as a rare historical name with multiple possible roots rather than a settled one.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
A 19th-century onomastic note grouped Embry with a cluster of names that can look like ordinary English words but are actually historical surnames or old personal-name forms.
From the historical record
“Odaway : Si. Jaa. Clerkenwe 1789. — BaijamiD Embry itcber : St. Geo. Han. So. i — Emlitt ; Si,”
— A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with special American instances