2000
#3,050
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,886
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.04
Uncommon Last name
Gardiner
An occupational surname referring to a person who tended or cultivated gardens.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 12,944 Americans carry the last name Gardiner. That puts it at #3,109 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.78 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 26,480 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gardiner 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 Gardiner with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
13K
1 in 26,480
Census rank
#3,109
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
11K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 11,288 bearers of the surname Gardiner in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.78 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3109th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gardiner, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.1%. The next largest groups are Black (9.4%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gardiner
The surname Gardiner originated in England during the medieval period. It derives from the Old French word "gardin" meaning garden, which in turn comes from the Frankish word "gardo" meaning an enclosed yard or garden. The name was an occupational surname given to those who worked as gardeners or tended gardens.
The earliest recorded instance of the Gardiner surname dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Gardin". This suggests that the name was already in use in England before the Norman Conquest of 1066. Over time, various spellings emerged, including Gardiner, Gardener, and Gardner.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Richard le Gardiner, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1195. Another early record is of William le Gardiner, who was listed in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1275.
The Gardiner surname is also associated with several place names in England, such as Gardiner's Green in Hampshire and Gardiner's Corner in Worcestershire. These locations likely derived their names from individuals with the Gardiner surname who lived or worked there.
Notable individuals with the Gardiner surname throughout history include:
1. Stephen Gardiner (c. 1493-1555), an English Catholic bishop and Lord Chancellor during the reign of Queen Mary I.
2. Samuel Rawson Gardiner (1829-1902), an English historian best known for his works on the English Civil War and the Commonwealth period.
3. Alan Henderson Gardiner (1879-1963), a British Egyptologist and philologist who made significant contributions to the study of Egyptian language and literature.
4. Amos Gardiner (1801-1882), an American lawyer and politician who served as a United States Representative from New York.
5. Vivien Gardiner (1921-2005), an Austrian-born American actress and dancer who appeared in numerous Broadway musicals and films.
The Gardiner surname has a rich history dating back to medieval England and has been borne by notable individuals across various fields, from politics and religion to academia and the arts.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gardiner
Among Census respondents with the surname Gardiner, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.1%. The next largest groups are Black (9.4%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Gardiner 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 Gardiner surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White82.1% · 9,273
- Black or African American9.4% · 1,059
- Two or more races3.7% · 413
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 407
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 77
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 59
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gardiner
Gardiner 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
#3,192
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,331
+445 bearers (+4.1%)
Per 100,000 3.84
Rank movement Down 142 places
2020
#3,109
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,288
-43 bearers (-0.4%)
Per 100,000 3.78
Rank movement Up 83 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,050 | 10,886 | 4.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,192 | 11,331 | 3.84 | +445 bearers (+4.1%) | Down 142 places |
| 2020 | #3,109 | 11,288 | 3.78 | -43 bearers (-0.4%) | Up 83 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 Gardiner 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 | #3,192 | #3,109 | 2.6% |
| Count | 11,331 | 11,288 | -0.4% |
| Per 100K | 3.84 | 3.78 | -1.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gardiner bearers went from 11,331 to 11,288 (-0.4% change). The surname moved up 83 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,192 to #3,109.
FAQ
Gardiner surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gardiner?
Name Census estimates that about 12,944 living Americans carry the surname Gardiner. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 26,480 residents.
How common is Gardiner?
Gardiner ranks #3,109 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.78 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 11,288 people with the surname Gardiner. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (12,944), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.78 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.78 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Gardiner.
Has Gardiner become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gardiner went from 11,331 recorded bearers to 11,288. That is a decrease of 43 (-0.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #3,192 to #3,109.
What does the Census say about the background of Gardiner?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gardiner, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.1%. The next largest groups are Black (9.4%) and Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Gardiner in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.1% (9,273 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gardiner appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (82.1%), Black (9.4%), Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Gardiner (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 Gardiner mean?
An occupational surname referring to a person who tended or cultivated gardens. 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 Gardiner (3.78 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 Gardiner?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.