Tarry as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Tarry

What is the meaning of the name Tarry ?

The baby name Tarry is a Unisex name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced TAR-ee (IPA: /ˈtæri/ or /ˈtɑːri/).

Tarry is English in Origin.

Tarry is most plausibly an English surname‑turned‑given name, a spelling variant alongside Terry that ultimately traces to Norman French Thierry, from the Germanic Theodoric (theud “people” + ric “ruler”). On this lineage, Tarry carries the meaning “ruler of the people,” sharing roots with Derek, Dietrich, and Terry.

Usage as a first name is rare but documented in Britain and North America from the 19th century onward, with modest mid‑20th‑century visibility as a creative alternative to Terry. It is broadly unisex, though historically more common for boys in line with Terry’s pattern. Variants and related forms include Terry, Terri/Teri (feminine spellings), Thierry (French), and Derek/Derrick. Some parents also hear a literary echo from the English verb tarry “to linger,” and the surname can sometimes arise as an occupational or descriptive nickname linked to tar, but these are secondary associations.