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

Garrard, 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 Garrard surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Garrard in America

Garrard is the 9683rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Garrard surname appeared 3,353 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Garrard.

We can also compare 2010 data for Garrard 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 Garrard

The surname Garrard is of English origin and dates back to the late 12th century. It is derived from the Old French word "garder," meaning "to keep" or "to guard," and is related to the modern French word "gardien," meaning "guardian." The name likely originated as an occupational surname for a watchman, guard, or keeper.

The earliest recorded instance of the name Garrard can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Northamptonshire from 1195, where a Richard Garard is mentioned. The name also appears in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1273, where a John Gararde is listed.

The Garrard surname is sometimes associated with places like Garard's Green in Buckinghamshire and Garard's Cross in Hertfordshire, suggesting a possible connection to landowners or places named after early bearers of the name.

One notable bearer of the name was Sir Samuel Garrard (1625-1683), a prominent English silversmith and jewelry maker. He was appointed the Master Worker to the Royal Mint in 1675 and was responsible for designing and producing royal regalia and coins during the reigns of Charles II and James II.

Another historically significant figure was Thomas Garrard (1787-1859), an English watchmaker and inventor who is credited with developing the first successful self-winding watch mechanism in 1823. His invention revolutionized the watchmaking industry and paved the way for the development of modern automatic watches.

In the 16th century, a family of Garrards held the position of Master of the Buckhounds to Queen Elizabeth I. One member of this family, Sir John Garrard (1545-1625), served as Lord Mayor of London in 1601.

Another notable bearer of the name was George Garrard (1760-1826), an English painter and engraver who is best known for his portrait engravings of British royalty and aristocracy. His works are highly regarded and can be found in many art collections around the world.

The Garrard surname has also been associated with the renowned British jewelry company Garrard & Co. Established in 1735, the company has held several prestigious royal warrants and has been responsible for creating many iconic pieces of jewelry for the British royal family over the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Garrard

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

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

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

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