Find out how popular the last name Gainer is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Gainer.

Gainer, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Gainer surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Gainer in America

Gainer is the 6729th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Gainer surname appeared 5,012 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Gainer.

We can also compare 2010 data for Gainer to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Gainer

The surname Gainer originated in England during the late medieval period. It is derived from the Old English word "gainer," which means "to gain or acquire." The name was likely given to someone who was successful in acquiring land, wealth, or possessions.

The earliest known record of the Gainer surname dates back to the 13th century. In 1273, a man named William le Gainer was mentioned in the Hundred Rolls of Norfolk. This document was a survey of landowners in England commissioned by King Edward I.

Another early reference to the name can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire in 1301, where a John Gainer was listed as a taxpayer. This suggests that the Gainer family had established themselves as landowners in Yorkshire by the early 14th century.

The Gainer surname has also been recorded with variations in spelling, such as Gayner, Gaynor, and Ganer. These variations were common during the Middle Ages due to inconsistencies in record-keeping and regional dialects.

One notable person with the Gainer surname was Sir Thomas Gainer (1475-1547), a wealthy merchant and philanthropist from London. He was a member of the Worshipful Company of Drapers and served as the Lord Mayor of London in 1536.

Another prominent figure was Richard Gainer (1564-1623), an English author and clergyman. He was born in Gloucestershire and served as the rector of Wanstead in Essex. He is best known for his work "The Pandect of the Professions and Trades," published in 1610.

In the 17th century, the Gainer surname was also found in the American colonies. One of the earliest known settlers with this name was William Gainer, who arrived in Virginia in 1635.

During the 18th century, the Gainer family had a strong presence in the county of Wiltshire, England. Notable members included John Gainer (1712-1789), a wealthy landowner and benefactor, and his son, William Gainer (1745-1812), who served as the High Sheriff of Wiltshire in 1793.

Another significant figure with the Gainer surname was Sir Robert Gainer (1820-1892), a British politician and industrialist. He was born in Lancashire and made his fortune in the textile industry. He served as a Member of Parliament for Coventry from 1874 to 1892.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Gainer

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Gainer.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Gainer was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Gainer has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Gainer was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Gainer, please contact us.

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