Avery (surname)

Avery is a surname of ambiguous origin. Some scholars believe that the name is derived from "Every" or "Evreux". The name may have arrived in Britain 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.

In acting:

* Margaret Avery, American singer and actress
* Shondrella Avery, American actress
* James L. Avery, Sr., American actor known for playing "Uncle Phil" on "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air"

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, former Governor of Kansas
* Joseph Avery, former Vice President of SFCC Student Government

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