2000
#403
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 72,052
First available Census row
Per 100,000 26.71
Uncommon Last name
Garner
An occupational surname referring to someone who managed or worked in a granary or barn.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 81,989 Americans carry the last name Garner. That puts it at #449 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 23.92 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 4,180 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Garner 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 Garner with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
82K
1 in 4,180
Census rank
#449
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
23.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
71K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 71,498 bearers of the surname Garner in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 23.92 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 449th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Garner, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.7%. The next largest groups are Black (22.1%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Garner
Among Census respondents with the surname Garner, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.7%. The next largest groups are Black (22.1%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Garner 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 Garner surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White68.7% · 49,118
- Black or African American22.1% · 15,809
- Two or more races4.5% · 3,251
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 2,429
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 455
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 436
Timeline
Historical Census data for Garner
Garner 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
#442
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 74,324
+2,272 bearers (+3.2%)
Per 100,000 25.20
Rank movement Down 39 places
2020
#449
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 71,498
-2,826 bearers (-3.8%)
Per 100,000 23.92
Rank movement Down 7 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #403 | 72,052 | 26.71 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #442 | 74,324 | 25.20 | +2,272 bearers (+3.2%) | Down 39 places |
| 2020 | #449 | 71,498 | 23.92 | -2,826 bearers (-3.8%) | Down 7 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 Garner 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 | #442 | #449 | -1.6% |
| Count | 74,324 | 71,498 | -3.8% |
| Per 100K | 25.20 | 23.92 | -5.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Garner bearers went from 74,324 to 71,498 (-3.8% change). The surname moved down 7 positions in the national ranking, going from #442 to #449.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Garner
FAQ
Garner surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Garner?
Name Census estimates that about 81,989 living Americans carry the surname Garner. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 4,180 residents.
How common is Garner?
Garner ranks #449 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 23.92 per 100,000 residents, which is about 24 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 71,498 people with the surname Garner. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (81,989), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 23.92 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 23.92 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 24 of them to have the surname Garner.
Has Garner become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Garner went from 74,324 recorded bearers to 71,498. That is a decrease of 2,826 (-3.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #442 to #449.
What does the Census say about the background of Garner?
Among Census respondents with the surname Garner, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.7%. The next largest groups are Black (22.1%) 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 Garner in the 2020 Census, accounting for 68.7% (49,118 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Garner appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (68.7%), Black (22.1%), 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 Garner (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 Garner mean?
An occupational surname referring to someone who managed or worked in a granary or barn. 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 Garner (23.92 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 Garner?
See how common the surname Garner is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.