Avery is an English surname of ambiguous origin. Some scholars believe that the name is of Anglo-Norman origin and derived from "Every" or "Evreux". The name may have arrived in England after the Norman Conquest. It is the name of a county in Normandy. It can also be found in the northern Spanish region of Navarra, where the House of Évreux was a ruling royal house from 1328 to 1441. At the time of the, its frequency was highest in Devon (5.9 times the British average), followed by Sussex, Buckinghamshire, Rutland, Worcestershire, Oxfordshire, Kent, Warwickshire, Cornwall and Somerset.
Notable people with the surname include:
In acting:
James L. Avery, Sr., American actor known for playing "Uncle Phil" on The Fresh Prince of Bel-AirMargaret Avery, American singer and actressPatricia Avery (1902–1973), American silent film actressPhyllis Avery, American actressShondrella Avery, American actressStephen Morehouse Avery, screenwriterIn science and engineering:
Clarence W. Avery, an early engineer at Ford Motor CompanyJohn Scales Avery, theoretical chemist and peace activistOswald Avery, physician and scientistWilliam H. Avery, aeronautics engineerIn music:
Brad Avery, guitarist for the Christian rock band Third DayEric Avery, original bass player for Jane's AddictionIn law:
Brian Avery, former volunteer for the International Solidarity MovementJack Avery, the former Attorney General of the GuamJohn Keith Avery, the Commissioner of the New South Wales Police from 1984 to 1991Steven Avery, the first person in the U.S. to be charged with a homicide after being exonerated by DNA evidence for a previous crimeIn activism:
Byllye Avery, American health care activistGreg Avery, British animal rights activist and co-founder of Stop Huntingdon Animal CrueltyRachel Foster Avery, corresponding secretary of the National American Woman Suffrage Association during the late 19th centuryIn politics:
Carlos Avery (1868-1930), Minnesota newspaper publisher and politicianEphraim Kingsbury Avery, Methodist minister accused of the 1832 murder of Sarah Cornell and acquitted in 1833 for lack of evidenceIsaac E. Avery, grandson of Waightstill Avery and a colonel in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil WarJohn Avery, physician and politician from the U.S. state of MichiganWaightstill Avery, North Carolina's first Attorney General and colonel during the American Revolutionary WarWilliam H. Avery (1911-2009), former Governor of KansasIn literature:
Fiona Avery, comic book and television writerGillian Avery, British children’s writer and scholarHarold Avery, British author of children's literatureTom Avery, explorer, mountaineer, author and motivational speakerValeen Tippetts Avery, American biographer and historian known for her work on American Old West and Latter Day Saint historyIn sports:
Albert Avery, English rugby league footballerJohn Avery, professional Canadian football playerRyan Avery, former professional lacrosse playerSean Avery, professional hockey playerSteve Avery, former Major League Baseball pitcherWilliam Avery, professional basketball playerXavier Avery (born 1990), American baseball playerIn artistry:
Milton Avery, American painter whose works specialize in American ModernismTex Avery, animator and director; creator of Bugs Bunny and Daffy DuckIn fiction:
Shug Avery, one of the main characters in the 1983 novel The Color PurpleBree Avery, the protagonist of the popular lonelygirl15 Internet video seriesRupert Avery, a main character in The Serpentwar SagaAvery, a minor Death Eater in the Harry Potter series.In other fields:
Bryan Avery, British architectCyrus Avery, the "Father of Route 66"Henry Every (or Avery), 17th century pirateJames Avery, Union Navy seaman and recipient of the Medal of Honor during the American Civil WarPeter Avery, Fellow of King's College, CambridgeR. Stanton Avery, founder of Avery Dennison Corporation and namesake of Caltech's Avery HouseSewell Avery, U.S. businessman