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

Garner, 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 Garner surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Garner in America

Garner is the 442nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Garner surname appeared 74,324 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 25 people would have the surname Garner.

We can also compare 2010 data for Garner 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 Garner

The surname GARNER has its origins in England and dates back to the late 12th century. It is derived from the Old English words "garan" meaning a triangular piece of land, and "iere" meaning a person who tends to something. Thus, GARNER was an occupational surname given to a person who tended to a triangular plot of land or a grove of trees.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the GARNER surname can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1273, where it appears as "Walter le Garner". The name is also mentioned in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327, where it is spelled as "Johannes Garnere".

During the Middle Ages, the GARNER surname was particularly prevalent in the counties of Oxfordshire, Worcestershire, and Warwickshire. It is believed that the name may have originated from the village of Garner's Green, which is now a part of Birmingham.

In the 16th century, the GARNER surname can be found in various historical records, including the Muster Rolls of 1539, where a "Robert Garner" is listed as a soldier from Oxfordshire. Another notable figure from this period is Thomas Garner (c. 1520-1595), an English clergyman who served as the Dean of Winchester Cathedral.

In the 17th century, one of the most prominent individuals with the GARNER surname was Sir Thomas Garner (1592-1676), an English judge and Member of Parliament. He served as the Lord Chief Baron of the Exchequer from 1660 to 1676.

During the 18th century, John Garner (1711-1796) was a notable English landscape gardener who designed gardens for several aristocratic estates. Another individual of note was Richard Garner (1756-1827), a British naval officer who served during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars.

In the 19th century, one of the most famous individuals with the GARNER surname was Thomas Garner (1809-1898), an English writer and poet who published several works, including "The Annals of Chepstow Castle" and "The Upper Ward of Chepstow Castle".

Moving into the 20th century, a notable figure with the GARNER surname was Erroll Garner (1921-1977), an American jazz pianist and composer who is widely regarded as one of the most influential musicians of his era.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Garner

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

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

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

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