Parry
Masculine · “son of Harry”
Parry is Welsh ap Harry, 'son of Harry', with the ap worn down to a single p. Its best-known bearer set William Blake to music: Hubert Parry composed 'Jerusalem', the hymn made from the lines beginning 'And did those feet in ancient time', in 1916.
How old is the name Parry?
Parry first appears in US birth records in 1918 — 107 years ago. The typical Parry alive today was born around 1963, making them about 62 years old. About 400 people named Parry are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Parry most popular?
Parry peaked in 1965, reaching #1806 nationally. See the whole 1965 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
From Henry to Parry
The story of Parry
Harry was the ordinary medieval English form of Henry, and when Welsh families fixed their patronymics as surnames, ap Harry became Parry. Hubert Parry wrote 'Jerusalem' during the First World War for a patriotic campaign called Fight for Right, and it has been sung at English public occasions ever since. The verb 'to parry' comes from French parez, 'ward off', the command form of parer, and only shares the letters. As an American first name, Parry follows the surname.
Meaning
son of Harry
Welsh families built surnames with ap or ab, 'son of', and ap Harry ran together into Parry. The fencing verb parry is a separate word with a separate history.
How the name formed
- Henry
- Harry
- Welsh ap Harry, 'son of Harry'
- Parry, surname
- Parry as a given name
Related forms: ap Harri · Harris · Harrison
Pronouncing Parry
PAIR-ee
Two syllables, stressed on the first. In much of the United States it is said exactly like Perry.
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1918
- Most boys named
- 196519 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #1806reached in 1965
- Change vs 1997
- −14.3%6 in 1999, from 7
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Parry in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- ap Harri in Welsh — same name
- Harris in English — related form
- Harrison in English — related form
Parrys among us
people named Parry are estimated to be alive in the US today
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
Questions parents actually ask
Fashion outlook
Parry sits outside the current charts, and that is its own kind of answer: naming cycles can only date the names they carried up. A name this rare has no decade stamped on it — it cannot go out of fashion, because it was never in.
Based on 146 years of naming cycles. How we read them
The trade-off
- A documented Welsh meaning, 'son of Harry', that explains itself.
- A strong musical namesake in Hubert Parry, the composer of 'Jerusalem'.
- Short and easy to say.
- It is also the fencing word, and some people will read it as a verb.
- Many Americans say it exactly like Perry, so expect the spelling to be guessed as Perry.
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Parry
Masculine
Frequently asked
- How many Parrys are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 400 people named Parry are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Parry in 2025?
- Parry is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 boy names.
- Will my child share the name Parry with classmates?
- Parry will almost certainly be the only one in school.
More P names
The most-given names starting with P, all years combined.
Paul#262 · Patrick#235 · Peter#187 · Philip#527 · Phillip#651 · Parker#102 · Preston#299 · Pedro#455
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Parry? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Parry and another name?
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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