Sperry

Sperry is a surname and a brand name associated with several notable entities in fields such as aviation, navigation, computing, and footwear. The surname is borne by several individuals, including Elmer Sperry (1860–1939), an American inventor who pioneered gyroscopic stabilization and navigation systems and founded the Sperry Gyroscope Company; his son Lawrence Sperry (1892–1923), an aviation pioneer who helped advance autopilot technology; and Paul Sperry, the inventor of the Sperry Top-Sider boat shoe.

In industry, Sperry Corporation was a major American manufacturer of electrical and electronic equipment, including navigation instruments and early computing gear. In 1955 it merged with Remington Rand to form Sperry Rand, a diversified technology company whose operations encompassed defense electronics, office equipment, and computing. Over the subsequent decades, corporate reorganizations reshaped the Sperry Rand lineage, and its various assets were acquired by other firms as the tech landscape evolved.

In consumer products, Sperry Top-Sider is a well-known brand of boat shoes originally developed by Paul Sperry in 1935. The line became a mainstream footwear staple and is now owned by Deckers Outdoor Corporation, continuing to carry the Sperry name on a wide range of casual and nautical-inspired footwear.

Overall, Sperry reflects a history of engineering innovation and brand continuity, spanning early aviation and gyroscopic navigation to modern consumer footwear.