Kerry is an Irish place name — County Kerry in Munster — that became a given name and then migrated to pets through the same path as many geographic names: it sounds like a first name, it's easy to say, and it carries a soft Celtic lilt that works on a female dog or cat. The Kerry Blue Terrier adds a specific breed connection that makes the name doubly appropriate for the right dog.
The Kerry Blue Terrier Connection
The Kerry Blue Terrier is a native Irish breed named for the same county. Giving a Kerry Blue the name Kerry is either a delightful tautology or a lazy choice, depending on your perspective — but it also works for any dog with a blue-grey coat or Irish-breed heritage. Irish Setters and Irish Wolfhounds both suit the name's geographic register.
Sound and Human Crossover
Kerry was a top-200 American baby name for women in the 1960s and 70s — firmly retro now, which gives it a generational pet aesthetic appeal. The human name Kerry has become rare enough that it reads freshly on a pet without the irony of more obviously vintage choices.
The Counter-Reading: Political Noise
John Kerry's prominence in American politics means the name carries a slight political echo for some owners , easily ignored, but worth noting for households where that association matters.