2000
#13,838
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,004
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.74
Rare Last name
Gardener
An occupational surname referring to a person who tended or cultivated gardens or worked as a gardener.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,759 Americans carry the last name Gardener. That puts it at #12,334 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.80 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 124,231 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gardener surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Gardener with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.8K
1 in 124,231
Census rank
#12,334
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,406 bearers of the surname Gardener in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.80 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12334th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gardener, the largest self-reported group is White at 49.4%. The next largest groups are Black (39.6%) and Hispanic (5.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gardener
The surname Gardener is an occupational name derived from the Old English words 'gard' meaning yard or garden, and 'ner' meaning keeper. It originated in England and referred to someone who tended to and maintained gardens, particularly those belonging to estates, castles, or religious establishments.
The earliest known record of the surname Gardener dates back to the late 12th century in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire. This document mentions a William le Gardiner who was likely responsible for maintaining the gardens of a local noble or monastery.
During the Middle Ages, the Gardener surname was found in various English records, including the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which listed a Robert le Gardiner in Oxfordshire. The Domesday Book, compiled in 1086, does not contain the surname Gardener, but it does reference individuals with occupations related to gardening, such as horticularii and vinitores.
In the 14th century, the surname appeared in the form Gardenere, as seen in the records of the Poll Tax of 1379 in Lincolnshire. This variant spelling reflects the evolution of the English language over time.
One notable person with the surname Gardener was John Gardener, a 16th-century English clergyman and author who served as Bishop of Winchester from 1534 to 1555. Another was Stephen Gardiner (c. 1495-1555), an influential English scholar, diplomat, and Bishop of Winchester during the reigns of Henry VIII and Mary I.
In Scotland, the Gardener surname can be traced back to the 15th century, with records showing a John Gardener in Aberdeen in 1489. The surname was also present in various locations throughout Scotland, including Ayrshire, Lanarkshire, and Renfrewshire.
Other notable individuals with the surname Gardener include Samuel Rawson Gardiner (1829-1902), an English historian and writer, and John Gardiner (c. 1530-1592), an English composer and musician during the Renaissance period.
Over time, the surname Gardener has also evolved into various spellings, such as Gardner, Gardiner, and Gardener, reflecting regional variations and changes in language and orthography.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gardener
Among Census respondents with the surname Gardener, the largest self-reported group is White at 49.4%. The next largest groups are Black (39.6%) and Hispanic (5.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Gardener bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Gardener surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White49.4% · 1,188
- Black or African American39.6% · 953
- Hispanic or Latino5.1% · 122
- Two or more races4.4% · 107
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 23
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 13
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gardener
Gardener appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#13,843
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,184
+180 bearers (+9.0%)
Per 100,000 0.74
Rank movement Down 5 places
2020
#12,334
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,406
+222 bearers (+10.2%)
Per 100,000 0.80
Rank movement Up 1,509 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,838 | 2,004 | 0.74 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,843 | 2,184 | 0.74 | +180 bearers (+9.0%) | Down 5 places |
| 2020 | #12,334 | 2,406 | 0.80 | +222 bearers (+10.2%) | Up 1,509 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Gardener surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #13,843 | #12,334 | 10.9% |
| Count | 2,184 | 2,406 | 10.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.74 | 0.80 | 8.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gardener bearers went from 2,184 to 2,406 (+10.2% change). The surname moved up 1,509 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,843 to #12,334.
FAQ
Gardener surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gardener?
Name Census estimates that about 2,759 living Americans carry the surname Gardener. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 124,231 residents.
How common is Gardener?
Gardener ranks #12,334 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.80 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,406 people with the surname Gardener. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,759), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.8 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.80 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Gardener.
Has Gardener become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gardener went from 2,184 recorded bearers to 2,406. That is an increase of 222 (+10.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #13,843 to #12,334.
What does the Census say about the background of Gardener?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gardener, the largest self-reported group is White at 49.4%. The next largest groups are Black (39.6%) and Hispanic (5.1%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Gardener in the 2020 Census, accounting for 49.4% (1,188 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gardener appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (49.4%), Black (39.6%), Hispanic (5.1%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Gardener (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Gardener mean?
An occupational surname referring to a person who tended or cultivated gardens or worked as a gardener. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Gardener (0.80 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many Americans have the surname Gardener?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.