Garmon
Of Scottish origin, a variation of the Gaelic name Garmunnd meaning "bear man".
Name Census estimates that about 10 living Americans carry the first name Garmon. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Garmon today is around 81 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Garmon births was 1920 (9 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Garmon. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Garmon with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Garmon is about 81 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Garmons were born before 1955.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Garmon. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
10
~ 1 in 34,275,434 Americans
Peak year
1920
9 babies that year
Average age
81
years old
1951 SSA rank
#3,173
Tracked since 1914
Popularity
Garmon: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Garmon from the 1910s through to the 1950s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 41 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1920s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Garmon by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Garmon during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Garmon
The name Garmon finds its origins in the ancient Celtic culture, with roots tracing back to the 5th century BCE. It is believed to be derived from the Old Celtic word "garmo," meaning "warm" or "radiant." The name was particularly prominent among the Celtic tribes that inhabited the regions of modern-day Ireland, Scotland, and Wales.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Garmon can be found in the ancient Welsh manuscript, "The Black Book of Carmarthen," where it appears as a reference to a legendary figure associated with the Arthurian legends. In this text, Garmon is depicted as a wise and learned druid who played a significant role in the court of King Arthur.
During the Medieval period, the name Garmon gained popularity among Christian communities in Wales and Ireland. Several notable figures bearing this name emerged, including Saint Garmon, a 6th-century Welsh bishop and founder of the monastic settlement of Llangarmon in Powys, Wales.
In the 9th century, a renowned Irish scholar and philosopher named Garmon Fíngalach lived and worked at the monastic school of Clonmacnoise. His writings on theology and metaphysics were highly influential during the Carolingian Renaissance.
Another historical figure of note was Garmon ap Rhys, a 13th-century Welsh nobleman and military leader who played a significant role in the conflicts between the Welsh princes and the English Crown during the reign of King Edward I.
In later centuries, the name Garmon continued to be used, though less frequently. One notable bearer was Garmon Jones (1670-1737), a Welsh clergyman and author who wrote extensively on religious topics and contributed to the development of Welsh literature.
The name Garmon has also been adopted as a surname in some instances, particularly in Wales and Ireland. However, this detailed report focuses solely on its use as a given name throughout history.
People
Garmon + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Garmon as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with G
Other first names starting with G with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Garmon: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Garmon?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 10 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Garmon going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 34,275,434 US residents.
Is Garmon a common name?
We classify Garmon as "Very Rare". It ranks above 28.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 86 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Garmon most popular?
The single biggest year for Garmon was 1920, when 9 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Garmon is about 81 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Garmon in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Garmon a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Garmon in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Garmon still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Garmon in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Garmon can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people have the name Garmon?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.