Originating from Ireland, the name Barry is of Old Irish origin and means 'spear bright' or 'fair-haired'. It is believed to have been derived from the Gaelic word 'barra', which translates to 'blond' or 'fair'. Historically, Barry was used as both a given name and a surname. Notably, it was borne by several notable figures throughout history, such as Sir Richard Barrett Baronet (1695-1732), who adopted the anglicized name Barry from his Irish roots. Today, Barry is widely recognized as an English-language masculine given name.
The name Barry experienced its peak popularity from the mid-40s to the early 50s, with a notable high of 32 births in 1963. However, it saw a steady decline thereafter, with only single-digit occurrences after 1981, and just five births each year between 1990 and 1992. Over this period spanning from 1931 to 1992, the name Barry was given to a total of 766 newborns.