2000
#6,102
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,183
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.92
Rare Last name
Garmon
A surname of French origin, derived from the Germanic name Garman, meaning "spear man" or "warrior."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,010 Americans carry the last name Garmon. That puts it at #6,253 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.75 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 57,031 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Garmon 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 Garmon with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
6.0K
1 in 57,031
Census rank
#6,253
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,241 bearers of the surname Garmon in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.75 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6253rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Garmon, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.9%. The next largest groups are Black (24.4%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Garmon
The surname Garmon has its origins in the Anglo-Saxon and Germanic regions of Europe, likely emerging sometime during the early medieval period. It is believed to be derived from the Old English word "gāra," meaning "spear," which was a common element in many early Germanic personal names. The name may have originally referred to someone who was skilled with a spear or worked as a spearmaker.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of land and property commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The book mentions a landowner named Garmund in the county of Essex, which may be an early variation of the name Garmon.
In the 13th century, a notable figure named John Garmon is mentioned in historical records from the city of Lincoln, England. He was a prominent merchant and landowner who played a role in the city's governance during that era.
During the 14th century, the name appeared in various spellings, such as Garmun, Garmyn, and Garmund, reflecting the regional variations in pronunciation and spelling at the time. One individual of note was William Garmon, a scholar and cleric who lived in the late 1300s and served as a canon at the Cathedral of St. Paul in London.
In the 16th century, a man named Richard Garmon gained recognition as a skilled architect and builder. He was responsible for the construction of several notable structures in the counties of Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire, including the manor house at Stowe and the chapel at Waddesdon.
Another noteworthy figure was Thomas Garmon, a merchant and explorer from Bristol, England, who lived during the late 16th and early 17th centuries. He was involved in several voyages of exploration and trade, including expeditions to the West Indies and North America.
It is also worth mentioning that the name Garmon has been associated with various place names throughout history. For example, there is a village called Garmon in the county of Herefordshire, England, which may have derived its name from an early settler or landowner with the surname Garmon.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Garmon
Among Census respondents with the surname Garmon, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.9%. The next largest groups are Black (24.4%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Garmon 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 Garmon surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White67.9% · 3,561
- Black or African American24.4% · 1,277
- Two or more races4.5% · 235
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 134
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 21
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 13
Timeline
Historical Census data for Garmon
Garmon 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
#6,318
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,403
+220 bearers (+4.2%)
Per 100,000 1.83
Rank movement Down 216 places
2020
#6,253
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,241
-162 bearers (-3.0%)
Per 100,000 1.75
Rank movement Up 65 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,102 | 5,183 | 1.92 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,318 | 5,403 | 1.83 | +220 bearers (+4.2%) | Down 216 places |
| 2020 | #6,253 | 5,241 | 1.75 | -162 bearers (-3.0%) | Up 65 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 Garmon 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 | #6,318 | #6,253 | 1.0% |
| Count | 5,403 | 5,241 | -3.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.83 | 1.75 | -4.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Garmon bearers went from 5,403 to 5,241 (-3.0% change). The surname moved up 65 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,318 to #6,253.
FAQ
Garmon surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Garmon?
Name Census estimates that about 6,010 living Americans carry the surname Garmon. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 57,031 residents.
How common is Garmon?
Garmon ranks #6,253 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.75 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,241 people with the surname Garmon. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,010), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.75 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.75 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Garmon.
Has Garmon become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Garmon went from 5,403 recorded bearers to 5,241. That is a decrease of 162 (-3.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #6,318 to #6,253.
What does the Census say about the background of Garmon?
Among Census respondents with the surname Garmon, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.9%. The next largest groups are Black (24.4%) and Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Garmon in the 2020 Census, accounting for 67.9% (3,561 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Garmon appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (67.9%), Black (24.4%), Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Garmon (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 Garmon mean?
A surname of French origin, derived from the Germanic name Garman, meaning "spear man" or "warrior." 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 Garmon (1.75 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 share the surname Garmon?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.