the most powerful members of a society
"The local gentry dominated every political decision in the county, ignoring the needs of the working poor."
Birth; condition; rank by birth.
"The old baron insisted that his cousin was not truly of gentry until he could prove his lineage traced back to the thirteenth century."
A surname.
"When we arrived at the estate, the gatekeeper addressed us as Mr. Gentry instead of by our first names."