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

Gaynor, 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 Gaynor surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Gaynor in America

Gaynor is the 5505th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Gaynor surname appeared 6,318 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Gaynor.

We can also compare 2010 data for Gaynor 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 Gaynor

The surname Gaynor has its origins in Ireland, deriving from the Irish Gaelic personal name 'Geanóir', which itself comes from the old Irish word 'gean' meaning 'smile' or 'good humor'. The name Gaynor is thought to have first emerged in the 12th century in the northern Irish province of Ulster.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Gaynor appears in the Annals of the Four Masters, a historical chronicle of medieval Irish history compiled in the early 17th century. The annals mention a 'Geanóir Mac Murcadha' who was involved in conflicts in the year 1233.

The Gaynor name can also be traced to the Irish clan system, with several prominent families bearing the name hailing from counties Donegal and Tyrone. One such family, the Gaynors of Tirconnell (modern-day County Donegal), held lands and power in the region during the 14th and 15th centuries.

As the Gaynor name spread beyond Ireland, variations in spelling emerged, including Gaynor, Gaynore, Gainer, and Gainor. In parts of Scotland, the name took on the form of Gayner or Gainer, likely due to the influence of Scottish Gaelic pronunciation.

Notable historical figures with the surname Gaynor include William Gaynor (1851-1913), who served as the 94th Mayor of New York City from 1910 until his assassination in 1913. Another prominent Gaynor was John Gaynor (1837-1890), an Irish-American Civil War veteran and recipient of the Medal of Honor for his actions at the Battle of Chancellorsville in 1863.

In the realm of arts and culture, the American singer and actress Gloria Gaynor (born 1949) is perhaps the most famous bearer of the name, best known for her hit disco anthem "I Will Survive". Other notable figures include Dan Gaynor (1905-1980), an American baseball player who spent his entire career with the Boston Red Sox, and Mary Gaynor (1881-1959), an Irish-born American film actress who appeared in numerous silent films in the early 20th century.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Gaynor

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!