Avery is an English surname that came from the Norman French form of Alfred and so means "elf counsel" or "wise ruler". It was a boys' name for centuries, but American parents adopted it for girls in the 1990s, and today it is given mostly to daughters. Avery ranked number 176 among girls in the United States in 2000, reached the top 100 in 2003, peaked at number 12 in 2013 and stands at number 37 in 2025.