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

Gardner, 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 Gardner surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Gardner in America

Gardner is the 156044th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Gardner surname appeared 104 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Gardner.

We can also compare 2010 data for Gardner 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 Gardner

The surname Gardner is of English origin, derived from the occupational name for a gardener or an orchard worker. It is believed to have emerged in the late 12th century, around the time when surnames were becoming hereditary in England.

The name Gardner is thought to have originated from the Old English word "gard," meaning an enclosure or a yard, combined with the agent noun suffix "-er," indicating a person's occupation. This suggests that the earliest bearers of the name were involved in tending or maintaining gardens or orchards.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Gardner can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire, dated 1191, which mention a William le Gardiner. The Hundred Rolls of 1273 also include references to individuals with the surname Gardner in various counties across England.

The Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landholdings in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, does not explicitly mention the surname Gardner. However, it does record individuals with occupational surnames related to agricultural activities, indicating the establishment of such professions during that time.

Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname Gardner. One of the earliest was Thomas Gardner, born around 1592, who was one of the founders of the Massachusetts Bay Colony and a soldier in the Pequot War of 1637.

Another prominent figure was Samuel Rawson Gardiner, a renowned English historian born in 1829, who made significant contributions to the study of the English Civil War and the Puritan Revolution.

In the realm of literature, Perceval Landon Gardner, born in 1869, was an English writer and traveler known for his works on Tibet and the Far East.

Alan Gardner, born in 1914, was a British actor and comedian, best known for his role as Chalky in the popular BBC sitcom "Careless Talk Costs Lives."

Erle Stanley Gardner, born in 1889, was an American lawyer and prolific writer, famous for creating the fictional character Perry Mason and authoring numerous detective novels.

The surname Gardner has also been associated with various place names throughout England, such as Gardner's Cross in Buckinghamshire, Gardner's Farm in Suffolk, and Gardner's Hill in Hertfordshire, further emphasizing its long-standing presence in the region.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Gardner

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

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 Gardner 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 Gardner 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 Gardner was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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