Sperry
Likely an old surname from a personal name or a local place-name, with early English roots and some uncertainty about the exact source.
The #4,569 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 39,787 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The strongest early source treats Sperry as an ancient Christian personal name, which suggests it may descend from a medieval given name rather than from a job or nickname. Other 19th-century writers also connect it with a Cornish local name, though they do not identify the place with confidence. Because of that, the surname is best understood as probably arising either from an early personal name or from an obscure place-name in the west of England.
History
The name is attested in medieval English records, including a Domesday-era form recorded in Staffordshire. Later surname dictionaries place it among English names and give a possible Cornish association, but the exact origin remained uncertain even to those scholars. In modern times it is best known in English-speaking countries, especially the United States.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Nineteenth-century surname writers disagreed enough about Sperry that they cataloged it under both a personal-name explanation and a possible place-name explanation.
From the historical record
“sparrow. SPERRY. An ancient Christian name. The Domesd. of Staffordshire has a Sperri among the tenants in chief SPETTIGUE. A Cornish local name ; place unknown. SPICER. O. Fr. espicier. What we now call a grocer, because, ivter alia, he deals in figs (f/rossi), the French call an ejncier, or spicer, because he…”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom