Gentry Surname Meaning & Origin
What the Gentry last name means, where the surname began and how it spread.
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Meaning and origin of the Gentry last name
Meaning of the Gentry last name: noble birth, courtesy. Gentry is an English surname from a medieval word for good birth and courteous manners, a nickname for someone of gentle bearing, or perhaps used in jest. The last name was always rare in England but became well established in the American South after early settlers reached Virginia. A curious detail: it is now most common in Tennessee, Kentucky, North Carolina and Missouri.
Arms associated with the Gentry name
In English heraldry a coat of arms belonged to one person at a time, so different Gentry lines used their own versions, each set out in a blazon, the formal heraldic description.
Get your full Gentry family history
This is only a glimpse of the Gentry story. The full Gentry history report goes much deeper into where the name began, who carried it and how the family spread, and it comes with a museum-style painted Gentry coat of arms. Get the full Gentry report.
Gentry name FAQ
What does the Gentry name mean?
Noble birth, courtesy. Common variants include Jentry, Gentrie, Gentery.
Where does the Gentry surname come from?
It originates in England, and is also found in the United States, Canada and Australia.
Is there a Gentry coat of arms?
Arms were granted to individuals rather than to everyone with a surname. Herald Lab paints a personalized Gentry coat of arms in museum style, based on historic heraldry.
Sources: Reaney & Wilson, Dictionary of English Surnames; Dictionary of American Family Names (Oxford); Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames (1901).