From Old French 'genterie' meaning 'nobility' or 'good breeding,' denoting someone of high social rank.
Gentry comes from an English vocabulary word rather than an ancient personal name. It ultimately descends from Old French genterie or gentery, related to gent, meaning “noble,” “well-born,” or “of good family.” In medieval and early modern England, the gentry were the social class below the titled nobility but above common laborers: landholding families with status, education, and influence.
As a surname and then later a given name, Gentry carries those echoes of rank and polish, though in a distinctly modern, Americanized way. Because it began as a social term, Gentry has always had a slightly self-conscious elegance to it. It is also strongly associated with surname-as-first-name traditions, especially in the United States, where class-coded English words and family surnames often become given names.
That makes it comparable to names like Sterling or Landry: names that sound tailored, genteel, and somewhat Southern or aristocratic in flavor. Public figures have used Gentry mostly as a surname, which reinforces its familiarity without making it overcommon as a first name. Its evolution is part of what makes it interesting.
Historically, “the gentry” referred to a very specific social order; as a baby name, Gentry has become more democratic, more stylistic, and less literal. Today it tends to suggest refinement rather than rank, manners rather than hierarchy. There is even a faint literary quality to it, since the word itself appears in novels and histories about English class life. The result is a name that sounds contemporary but carries a long social memory inside it.