The Gainey surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 8,556 people carried this name — #4,140 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 34,500 people counted. That is up 6% from 8,099 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Gainey surname

Reduced Anglicized form of Irish Mac Géibheannaigh (“son of Géibheannach”), a personal name derived from géibheannach (“fettered”).

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Gainey» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

In print

Gainey in American newspapers,
1906–1921.

Newspaper page from The Berne Witness carrying the name Gainey
The Berne Witness 1906-03-30
Newspaper page from Rock Island Argus carrying the name Gainey
Rock Island Argus 1915-03-01
Newspaper page from The Columbia Evening Missourian carrying the name Gainey
The Columbia Evening Missourian 1921-08-08

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 5,834 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Gainey in Australian newspapers,
1850s–1980s.

1,130 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Gainey. The most, 358, date from the 1930s. Weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, it stands out most in Victoria, at 2.8 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

Victoria 538
New South Wales 446
Queensland 106
South Australia 14
Tasmania 9
Western Australia 8
ACT (Canberra) 7

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

Who carried it

People named Gainey,
with a public archive behind them.

  • P. H. Gainey 1863– · politician
  • Richard Gainey 1890–1975 · politician

Wikidata (CC0) · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Gainey,
in the records of 4 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 States421 records

421 records of the Gainey name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 250
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 78
  • New York State death index (outside NYC), 1957–2001 30
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 23
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 23
  • U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 8
  • Irish Famine arrivals at New York, 1846–1851 5
  • U.S. service members who died in the Korean War 4
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Joseph C. Gainey

    Born 1922 in Georgia. Enlisted 1943 at Fort Jackson Columbia, South Carolina; driver. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1998, buried at Aim Well Bapt Church Cemetery, Pamplico, South Carolina.

    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 Gary P. Gainey

    Born 1933; from Hartford County, Connecticut. U.S. Army, light weapons infantryman; killed in action 1951 in North Korea.

    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 Gainey

    Arrived at New York in 1863 aboard the General McClelland from Liverpool, aged 23; servant. From Ireland.

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

Showing 3 of 421 records for Gainey in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · 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. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · 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).

Australia35 records

35 records of the Gainey name in Australia
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 16
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 14
  • Queensland State Archives indexes 3
  • NSW convict, estate and railway indexes 2
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Kate Gainey

    Arrived in Queensland in 1890 aboard the Jumna, aged 15.

    Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Albert Fairchild Gainey

    Farmer of Macorna, Victoria; died 1984.

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

    Of Narrabri, New South Wales; died 1918.

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

Showing 3 of 35 records for Gainey in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY). 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).

Canada2 records

2 records of the Gainey name in Canada
  • City of Calgary cemetery records 1
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 1
  1. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Charles Leslie Gainey

    Died 1931; buried at Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver, British Columbia.

    City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record John Gainey

    Buried in 1943 at Queen's Park Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.

Counts: City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · 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).

United Kingdom2 records

2 records of the Gainey name in the United Kingdom War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead
  1. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record J. Gainey

    Gloucestershire Regiment. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)
  2. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record N. Gainey

    Army Service Corps. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Gainey.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Gainey 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 Gainey volume
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