2000
#182
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 138,660
First available Census row
Per 100,000 51.40
Common Last name
Gardner
An occupational surname referring to a person who tended or cultivated gardens.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 157,536 Americans carry the last name Gardner. That puts it at #202 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 45.96 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,176 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gardner 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 Gardner with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
158K
1 in 2,176
Census rank
#202
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
46.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
137K
common in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 137,379 bearers of the surname Gardner in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 45.96 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 202nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gardner, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.1%. The next largest groups are Black (19.1%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gardner
The surname Gardner is an English occupational name derived from the Old French word "gardenier", meaning a gardener or keeper of a garden. It originates from the Late Latin word "viridarius", meaning a garden overseer or fruit gardener.
The name first appeared in England in the 13th century, with one of the earliest recorded instances being William le Gardiner, listed in the Feet of Fines records for Essex in 1285. The Domesday Book of 1086 did not include any references to the Gardner surname, indicating it likely emerged later during the Middle Ages.
In the 14th century, the surname was recorded with various spellings such as Gardiner, Gardyner, and Gardenier, reflecting the evolution of the English language and regional dialects. One notable example is John de Gardiner, who was a member of the Parliament of England in 1335.
By the 16th century, the spelling Gardner had become more common, as evidenced by the records of William Gardner (1536-1589), a celebrated English botanist and naturalist, best known for his work on the classification of plants.
The Gardner surname has been associated with several notable figures throughout history, including:
1. Thomas Gardner (1592-1638), one of the founders of the Massachusetts Bay Colony and a prominent early settler of Nantucket Island.
2. Samuel Rawson Gardiner (1829-1902), an English historian and author of the monumental work "History of England from the Accession of James I to the Outbreak of the Civil War".
3. Percy Gardner (1846-1937), a British classical archaeologist and professor at Oxford University, known for his contributions to the study of ancient Greek sculpture.
4. Erle Stanley Gardner (1889-1970), an American lawyer and author, best known for creating the popular fictional character Perry Mason.
5. John W. Gardner (1912-2002), an American educator and political figure who served as the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare under President Lyndon B. Johnson.
The Gardner surname has also been associated with various place names, such as Gardiner's Island in New York, named after the early settler Lion Gardiner, and the town of Gardiner in Maine, named after Dr. Sylvester Gardiner, a prominent landowner in the 18th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gardner
Among Census respondents with the surname Gardner, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.1%. The next largest groups are Black (19.1%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Gardner 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 Gardner surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White72.1% · 99,093
- Black or African American19.1% · 26,271
- Two or more races4.1% · 5,657
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 4,520
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 952
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 886
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gardner
Gardner 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
#194
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 142,894
+4,234 bearers (+3.1%)
Per 100,000 48.44
Rank movement Down 12 places
2020
#202
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 137,379
-5,515 bearers (-3.9%)
Per 100,000 45.96
Rank movement Down 8 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #182 | 138,660 | 51.40 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #194 | 142,894 | 48.44 | +4,234 bearers (+3.1%) | Down 12 places |
| 2020 | #202 | 137,379 | 45.96 | -5,515 bearers (-3.9%) | Down 8 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 Gardner 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 | #194 | #202 | -4.1% |
| Count | 142,894 | 137,379 | -3.9% |
| Per 100K | 48.44 | 45.96 | -5.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gardner bearers went from 142,894 to 137,379 (-3.9% change). The surname moved down 8 positions in the national ranking, going from #194 to #202.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Gardner
FAQ
Gardner surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gardner?
Name Census estimates that about 157,536 living Americans carry the surname Gardner. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,176 residents.
How common is Gardner?
Gardner ranks #202 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Common." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 45.96 per 100,000 residents, which is about 46 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 137,379 people with the surname Gardner. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (157,536), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 45.96 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 45.96 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 46 of them to have the surname Gardner.
Has Gardner become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gardner went from 142,894 recorded bearers to 137,379. That is a decrease of 5,515 (-3.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #194 to #202.
What does the Census say about the background of Gardner?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gardner, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.1%. The next largest groups are Black (19.1%) and Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Gardner in the 2020 Census, accounting for 72.1% (99,093 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gardner appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (72.1%), Black (19.1%), Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Gardner (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 Gardner 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 Gardner (45.96 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 people have the last name Gardner?
Want to know how many people are called Gardner? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.