Gentry
A surname probably from a social label for a gentleman or gentry-class man, though some families may have taken it as a local or descriptive name.
The #806 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 7,176 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The surname is usually explained as coming from Middle English and Anglo-French words for a gentleman or the gentry class, ultimately from French gentil, meaning 'well-born' or 'noble.' In that sense, it began as a status term rather than a hereditary family name. Some later bearers may also have acquired it through local usage or by adoption of a pre-existing byname, so the surname’s exact pathway is not always certain.
History
The name is well established in England and later became common in the United States. Historical surname writers sometimes treated it as a local or nickname-based formation, but the social-status explanation is the most common broad account. It is especially familiar in English-speaking countries as a family name rather than as a title-like word.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The related surname Gentleman appears in old records too, showing how social rank sometimes became a hereditary surname.
From the historical record
“GENTLEi\L\N. Joh. Gentilman, and Nichs. Gentilman occur in H.R. GENTRY. Probably local. GEOFFREY. See Jeflfery. GEORGE. The personal name. Unlike most names of its class, it seems not to have given rise to any diminutive or derivative. GERARD. A Norman personal name, probably identical with Gerald. In the H.R. it…”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom