Kerry is the name of a county in Ireland which is an anglicization of Ciarrai, which means "tribe of Ciar," Ciar being the name of an ancient Irish tribe or clan. The name Ciar means "black." Kerry was almost exclusively a place name and sometimes a surname, though it was occasionally used as a boys' name, until the 20th century. Kerry followed the rise in popularity of Carrie, becoming seen as an alternate spelling (the two are pronounced identically in much of the USA). See Also: Carrie, Kari, Cary