Meaning of Last Name

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 British Census of 1881 [http://www.britishsurnames.co.uk/surnames/AVERY/1881census], its frequency was highest in Devon (5.9 times the British average), followed by Sussex, Buckinghamshire, Rutland, Worcestershire, Oxfordshire, Kent, Warwickshire, Cornwall and Somerset. In acting: * James L. Avery, Sr., American actor known for playing "Uncle Phil" on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air* Margaret Avery, American singer and actress * Phyllis Avery, American actress * Shondrella Avery, American actress * Stephen Morehouse Avery, screenwriter In science: * A. G. Avery, geneticist * Oswald Avery, physician and scientist In music: * Brad Avery, guitarist for the Christian rock band Third Day * Eric Avery, original bass player for Jane's Addiction In law: * Brian Avery, former volunteer for the International Solidarity Movement * John Keith Avery, the Commissioner of the New South Wales Police from 1984 to 1991 * Steven Avery, the first person in the U.S. to be charged with a homicide after being exonerated by DNA evidence for a previous crime In activism: * Byllye Avery, American health care activist * Greg Avery, British animal rights activist and co-founder of Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty * Rachel Foster Avery, corresponding secretary of the National American Woman Suffrage Association during the late 19th century In politics: * Ephraim Kingsbury Avery, Methodist minister accused of the 1832 murder of Sarah Cornell and acquitted in 1833 for lack of evidence * Isaac E. Avery, grandson of Waightstill Avery and a colonel in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War * John Avery, physician and politician from the U.S. state of Michigan * Waightstill Avery, North Carolina's first Attorney General and colonel during the American Revolutionary War * William H. Avery (1911-2009), former Governor of Kansas In literature: * Fiona Avery, comic book and television writer * Gillian Avery, British children’s writer and scholar * Harold Avery, British author of children's literature * Tom Avery, explorer, mountaineer, author and motivational speaker * Valeen Tippetts Avery, American biographer and historian known for her work on American Old West and Latter Day Saint history In sports: * John Avery, professional Canadian football player * Sean Avery, professional hockey player * Steve Avery, former Major League Baseball pitcher * William Avery, professional basketball player In artistry: * Milton Avery, American painter whose works specialize in American Modernism * Tex Avery, animator and director; creator of Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck In fiction: * Bree Avery, the protagonist of the popular lonelygirl15 Internet video series In other fields: * Clarence W. Avery, an early engineer at Ford Motor Company * Cyrus Avery, the "Father of Route 66" * Henry Every (or Avery), 17th century pirate * Jack Avery, Former Attorney General of Guam * James Avery, Union Navy seaman and recipient of the Medal of Honor during the American Civil War * Peter Avery, Fellow of King's College, Cambridge * R. Stanton Avery, founder of Avery Dennison Corporation and namesake of Caltech's Avery House * William H. Avery, aeronautics engineer * Patric P. Avery, CEO of Avery-International Group sv:Dödsätare#Avery