The Gant surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 14,167 people carried this name — #2,550 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 20,800 people counted. That is up 7% from 13,268 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Gant surname

As a French and English surname, from gant (“glove”).

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

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as a nickname: ‘the gaunt’ — the first of the origins he gives.

An early record he cites: Warin le Gant, Cambridgeshire, 1273 — Hundred Rolls.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 307 · public domain.

In the first U.S. census, 1790

52 families named Gant, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 265 people lived in those households, 5.1 to a family on average. The table counts it together with 6 other spellings. The table lists white heads of families only, in the twelve states whose 1790 records survive; Virginia’s figures come from state lists of 1782–1785.

Families, by state

Pennsylvania 16
Maryland 15
North Carolina 10
South Carolina 4
New York 3
Virginia 3
Maine 1

U.S. Census Bureau, «A Century of Population Growth from the First Census of the United States to the Twelfth, 1790–1900» (Washington, 1909), table 111, p. 241 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Gant in American newspapers,
1885–1925.

Newspaper page from Lexington Weekly Intelligencer carrying the name Gant
Lexington Weekly Intelligencer 1885-10-24
Newspaper page from East St. Louis Daily Journal carrying the name Gant
East St. Louis Daily Journal 1925-03-29
Newspaper page from The Commercial carrying the name Gant
The Commercial 1922-02-24

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 337,993 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Gant in Australian newspapers,
1840s–1990s.

6,703 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Gant. The most, 1,500, date from the 1910s. Weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, it stands out most in Tasmania, at 5.3 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

Tasmania 2,178
Queensland 1,736
Victoria 1,244
New South Wales 1,021
South Australia 374
Western Australia 135
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 Gant.

Who carried it

People named Gant,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Wally Gant
    Wally Gant 1890–1957 · Australian rules football player
  • Cecil Gant 1913–1951 · pianist
  • Roland Gant 1919–1993
  • Laurie Gant 1922–2004 · rugby league player
  • Frank Gant 1931–2021 · drummer
  • Don Gant 1942–1987 · singer

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 9 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Gant,
in the records of 8 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 States760 records

760 records of the Gant name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 416
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 207
  • Other U.S. records 137
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Hubert R. Gant

    Born 1919 in North Carolina. Enlisted 1943 at Fort Bragg; driver from Rockingham County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 2000, buried at Greenview Cemetery, Reidsville, North Carolina.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Maria Gant

    Arrived at New York in 1839 aboard the Echo from Liverpool, aged 49; farmer. From Prussia, Germany.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)
  3. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Herman Eugene Gant

    Born 1947; from Castalia, Ohio. U.S. Army, medical equipment repairer; killed in action 1969 in Binh Duong, South Vietnam.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain)

Showing 3 of 760 records for Gant in the United States.

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

Australia188 records

188 records of the Gant name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 107
  • Queensland State Archives indexes 30
  • Other Australian records 51
  1. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record Caroline Gant

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Sir Robert Seppings, sailing from Woolwich in 1852. Native of Ipswich, Suffolk. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1854. Married 1854 in Launceston, Tasmania, aged 22.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Tetley Gant

    Died 1928 in Lower¿sandy¿bay, Tasmania. Will registered in Tasmania in 1928.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Mabel Gant

    Arrived in Queensland in 1927 aboard the Balranald, aged 37.

    Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 188 records for Gant in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Germany10 records

10 records of the Gant 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 Karl Gant

    From Plachtin, Berent. Reported missing in the Prussian casualty list of 2 October 1916 (Infantry Regiment No. 129).

    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 Gustav Gant

    From Oszywilken, Johannisburg. Reported missing in the Prussian casualty list of 31 January 1919 (Reserve Infantry Regiment No. 59).

    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 Eduard Gant

    From Gr. Gartz, Marienwerder. Reported missing in the Prussian casualty list of 30 June 1917.

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

Showing 3 of 10 records for Gant in Germany.

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).

New Zealand9 records

9 records of the Gant name in New Zealand Christchurch City cemetery records
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Maggie Gant

    Died 1938, aged 39; buried at Bromley Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Margaret Gant

    Died 1953, aged 71; buried at Ruru Lawn, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Jack Mennell Gant

    Died 1991, aged 79; buried at Ruru Lawn, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 9 records for Gant in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

United Kingdom9 records

9 records of the Gant name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 7
  • St James's burial ground, Euston (London), 1789–1853 2
  1. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record H. Gant

    Duke of Wellington's 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 C. Gant

    Hussars, Attached Guards Machine Gun Regiment. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

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

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

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

Showing 3 of 9 records for Gant in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · 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: C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

France9 records

9 records of the Gant name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Leon Charles Gant

    Born 1914 in Clairegoutte (Haute-Saône); died 1979 in Montbéliard (Doubs).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  2. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Jean Lucien Gant

    Born 1926 in Nancy; died 1973 in Nancy (Meurthe-et-Moselle).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  3. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Charles Joseph Henri Gant

    Born 1905 in Noroy-le-Bourg; died 1983 in Lure (Haute-Saône).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 3 of 9 records for Gant in France.

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Canada7 records

7 records of the Gant name in Canada
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 4
  • City of Calgary cemetery records 1
  • Other Canadian records 2
  1. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record William Gant

    Died 1958; buried at Brookside Cemetery, Winnipeg, Manitoba.

    City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Benjamin Ralph Gant

    Died 1994; 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 Maurice George Gant

    Died in service in 1945.

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

Showing 3 of 7 records for Gant in Canada.

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

Netherlands7 records

7 records of the Gant name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch church registers before 1811 4
  • Dutch population registers 3
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Joriaen Gant

    Married in 1604 in Alkmaar.

    Open Archives, Regionaal Archief Alkmaar (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Tijs Gant

    Married in 1778 in Oosthuizen.

    Open Archives, Waterlands Archief (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Population register Max Cecil Gant

    In the population register of Brielle; born in Kertasarie, Dutch East Indies.

    Open Archives, Streekarchief Voorne-Putten (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 7 records for Gant in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain); U.S. census of 1910, Milwaukee (public domain).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Gant.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Gant 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.

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