The Gainer surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 5,012 people carried this name — #6,729 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 58,800 people counted. That is up 6% from 4,719 in 2000.

Look up another surname

Share

In print

Gainer in American newspapers,
1915.

Newspaper page from The Hattiesburg News carrying the name Gainer
The Hattiesburg News 1915-10-13
Newspaper page from The Laramie Republican carrying the name Gainer
The Laramie Republican 1915-10-13
Newspaper page from The Tacoma Times carrying the name Gainer
The Tacoma Times 1915-10-13

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain.

In print

Gainer in Australian newspapers,
1840s–1990s.

1,309 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Gainer. The most, 353, date from the 1930s.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 508
Victoria 280
Queensland 206
South Australia 114
Tasmania 92
Western Australia 88
ACT (Canberra) 9
Northern Territory 2

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Gainer.

Who carried it

People named Gainer,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Glen Gainer, Jr.
    Glen Gainer, Jr. 1927–2009 · politician
  • Frank Gainer 1888–1975 · politician
  • Patrick Ward Gainer 1903–1981 · writer
  • Elmer Gainer 1918–1970 · basketball player
  • Walter Dunham Gainer 1922–2011 · economist
  • John L. Gainer 1938–2025 · engineer

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Gainer,
in the records of 5 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States387 records

387 records of the Gainer name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 166
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 61
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 60
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 59
  • U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 18
  • New York State death index (outside NYC), 1957–2001 10
  • Irish Famine arrivals at New York, 1846–1851 9
  • U.S. service members who died in the Korean War 2
  • U.S. service members who died in the Vietnam War 2
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Jack W. Gainer

    Born 1923 in West Virginia. Enlisted 1942 at Fort Thomas Newport, Kentucky; mason. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1997, buried at East Oak Grove Cemetery, Morgantown, West Virginia.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record John Robert Gainer

    Born 1948; from Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. U.S. Army, infantryman; killed in action 1969 in Hua Nghia, South Vietnam.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Mary Gainer

    Arrived at New York in 1868 aboard the Sidon from Liverpool and Queenstown, aged 20; servant. From Ireland.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)

Showing 3 of 387 records for Gainer in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Australia28 records

28 records of the Gainer name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 12
  • Tasmanian Names Index 10
  • NSW convict, estate and railway indexes 4
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 1
  • State Library of Western Australia indexes 1
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Robt Gainer

    Arrived in Victoria in 1853 aboard the Velore, aged 22; English.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Joyce Gainer

    Clerk of Elsternwick, Victoria; died 1973.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Joseph Gainer

    Of England; died 1890.

    Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY)

Showing 3 of 28 records for Gainer in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

Canada5 records

5 records of the Gainer name in Canada
  • City of Calgary cemetery records 2
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 2
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 1
  1. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Helena Gainer

    Buried in 1985 at St. Mary's Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 85.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Robert Maurice Gainer

    Died 1984; buried at Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver, British Columbia.

    City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver.
  3. A Canadian First World War grave register card for a soldier who died of wounds in 1917
    Example: Canadian war grave register, 1917
    War record Lloyd Elson Gainer

    Died in service in 1917.

    Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada.

Showing 3 of 5 records for Gainer in Canada.

Counts: City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Canadian First World War circumstances-of-death register (scan by Scottgraham87 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0).

Germany3 records

3 records of the Gainer name in Germany Germany's First World War casualty lists, 1914–1919
  1. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Alois Gainer

    From Frontenhausen, Niederb. Reported wounded in the Bavarian casualty list of 14 July 1916 (Infantry Regiment No. 1).

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)
  2. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Friedrich Gainer

    From München. Reported wounded in the Bavarian casualty list of 19 January 1917.

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)
  3. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Joseph Gainer

    From Auhäusl, Niederb. Reported dead in the Bavarian casualty list of 4 May 1918.

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)

Counts: Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Deutsche Verlustlisten, Prussian list 1116, 18 April 1918 (scan via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0).

United Kingdom1 record

1 record of the Gainer name in the United Kingdom St James's burial ground, Euston (London), 1789–1853
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record George Gainer

    Buried in 1804 at St James's burial ground, Euston, London, aged 42.

    MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Counts: MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Gainer.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Gainer is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

See the Gainer volume
Scroll to Top