Perry

Perry can come from an Old English word for pear tree, pyrige, or from a shortened form of Peregrine, the Latin for traveler. Either way it ends up outdoorsy and unpretentious. Perry Como made it midcentury smooth; Matthew Perry made it sitcom-familiar; Katy Perry took the surname into pop orbit. At 1242 and unisex, it has two compact syllables and a long open ee, the feel of a name called across a hedgerow. It reads a little Americana, a little vintage, a little fruit stand in late summer. Perry is friendly, fruit-bearing, likable without trying too hard.