The Gardner surname
In the 2010 U.S. Census, 142,894 people carried this name — #194 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 2,060 people counted. That is up 3% from 138,660 in 2000.
What the name means
The meaning of the Gardner surname
A surname originating as an occupation.
From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Gardner» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.
In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890
Ireland registered 23 births for the Gardner name in 1890.
They were registered in all four provinces, most of all in Ulster. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 1,000 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time. The Registrar-General’s note on the name: “Antrim.”
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they were born, 1890
Registrar-General for Ireland, «Special Report on Surnames in Ireland» (R. E. Matheson, 1894), births index of 1890 — public domain.
In France’s civil register
France’s register of deaths holds 48 people named Gardner.
Most of them — 28 — were born outside France. Those born in France came from 4 départements, most often Haut-Rhin.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they were born
Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.
In Switzerland’s population statistics
48 people named Gardner live in Switzerland.
They live in 7 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Geneva.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they live today
Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), «Surnames of the permanent resident population by canton», 2025, opendata.swiss/en/dataset/nachnamen-der-standigen-wohnbevolkerung-nach-kanton3 · names with fewer than 3 bearers in a canton are not published.
In Poland’s population register
28 people named Gardner have a registered home in Poland.
Of the 89 in Poland’s national register, these are the ones with a permanent address on file. They live in 4 of Poland’s 16 voivodeships, most of all in Masovian.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they live today
PESEL register, Ministry of Digital Affairs of Poland (dane.gov.pl) — CC0 · living people by voivodeship of permanent residence, 20 January 2026.
In the Nordic population registers
132 people named Gardner are counted in Sweden and Finland.
Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published. Finland counts its citizens, at home or abroad.
Counted, by country
Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown) · Digital and Population Data Services Agency (DVV), Finland, surname statistics, August 2026 — CC BY 4.0.
Among the farmers of England and Wales, 1880s
Gardner was found among the farmers of 16 counties.
It was most frequent in Warwickshire: 45 in every 10,000 farmers there — about 1 in 222. Guppy counted the farmers listed in each county’s directory and recorded a name only where it reached about 7 in every 10,000; where it does not appear, it was rarer than that, not absent. His list gives one count for the spellings Gardiner and Gardner.
Where it concentrates, on the mapPer 10,000 farmers, by county
And 8 more counties.
H. B. Guppy, «Homes of Family Names in Great Britain» (London, 1890), alphabetical list of English and Welsh names — public domain · farmers in Kelly’s Post Office Directories of the 1880s, per 10,000 farmers in each county.
In Scotland, 1880s
Gardner was 11 in every 10,000 names in Scotland.
That is about 1 in 909. Its home there, in Guppy’s words: “Dispersed over a large part of Scotland, and particularly frequent in Perthshire.” He counted the more than 20,000 names in Halliburton’s County Directory of Scotland, taking Scotland as a whole, and listed only the names that reached 10 in every 10,000.
H. B. Guppy, «Homes of Family Names in Great Britain» (London, 1890), appendix: alphabetical list of the most frequent Scottish names, p. 589 — public domain · names in Halliburton’s County Directory of Scotland, per 10,000 for the whole country.
In Scotland’s registers today
Gardner was recorded 82 times in Scotland’s registers of births, marriages and deaths in 2025.
That made it the 318th most common name in those registers, shared with others on the same count. In 1975, the first year of the series, the count was 162. Each birth counts the child’s surname, each marriage both partners’ and each death the surname of the person who died — a yearly count of registrations, not of the people who live in Scotland.
National Records of Scotland, «Most Common Surnames, 2025» (published 26 May 2026): every surname recorded 10 or more times in the 2025 registers, and the series from 1975 · different spellings are counted separately — © Crown copyright 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
In the first U.S. census, 1790
706 families named Gardner, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.
Each family is counted by its head. About 3,945 people lived in those households, 5.6 to a family on average. The census counted these spellings together: Gardner, Gadner, Gardeneer, Gardener, Gardenor, Gardineer, Gardiner, Gardiners, Gardnier, Gardnir, Gardnor, Gardnʳ, Gartiner, Gartner, Guardner. 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
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
Gardner in American newspapers,
1898–1915.
Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 1,149,704 pages in all carry the name.
In print
Gardner in Australian newspapers,
1800s–2020s.
145,834 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Gardner. The most, 25,250, date from the 1900s. Weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, it stands out most in Queensland, at 1.5 times its expected share.
Articles, by state
Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Gardner.
Who carried it
People named Gardner,
with a public archive behind them.
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Henry Gardner 1819–1892 · politician -
Alexander Gardner 1821–1882 · photographer -
Franklin Gardner 1823–1873 · military personnel -
Elizabeth Jane Gardner 1837–1922 · artist -
John Lowell Gardner 1837–1898 · merchant
Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 153 lives in all are documented under this name.
In the public record
People named Gardner,
in the records of 9 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 States13,517 records
- U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 4,963
- New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 2,756
- Other U.S. records 5,798
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Example: U.S. war memorial War record James Lee GardnerBorn 1945; from Portland, Oregon. U.S. Marine Corps, rifleman; killed in action 1966 in Quang Ngai, South Vietnam. Buried at Willamette National Cemetery, Oregon.
U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) -
Example: U.S. war memorial War record Ladon A. GardnerBorn 1931; from Alexander County, Illinois. U.S. Army, light weapons infantryman; killed in action 1951 in South Korea. Buried at Mound City National Cemetery - Il, Illinois.
U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) -
Example: U.S. registration card, 1942 Military record Felix GardnerBorn 1914 in New York. Enlisted 1940 at New York City; accountant from Suffolk County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1998, buried at Calverton National Cemetery, New York.
U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
Showing 3 of 13,517 records for Gardner in the United States.
Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · 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, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · City of Asheville (public domain, PDDL) · New York State, Open NY (police and firefighter memorial rolls) · Ramsey County, Minnesota (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain).
Australia4,094 records
- Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 2,153
- Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 677
- Other Australian records 1,264
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Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829 Transportation record George GardnerTransported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Tortoise, sailing from Plymouth in 1841. Native of Coventry, Warwickshire. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1848.
Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) -
Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829 Transportation record James GardnerTransported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Albion, sailing from England in 1823. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1845.
Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) -
Example: probate petition, 1848 Probate record William Atkinson GardnerDied 1855 in Launceston, Tasmania, aged 41. Will registered in Tasmania in 1855.
Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
Showing 3 of 4,094 records for Gardner in Australia.
Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · ACT Government, Transport Canberra and City Services (CC BY 4.0) · City of Ballarat, Avenue of Honour Plaques (CC BY 3.0 AU). 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).
Canada906 records
- Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 665
- City of Calgary cemetery records 62
- Other Canadian records 179
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Example: civil register, 1880 Civil record Walter GardnerKilled in the Halifax Explosion of 1917, aged 20.
Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. -
Example: passenger manifest, 1903 Passenger record John GardnerCame to Ontario in 1873 aboard the Caspian, bound for Brampton, Ontario; English.
Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. -
Example: Canadian cemetery Burial record Dorothy Francoise GardnerBuried in 2000 at Queen's Park Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 78.
City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.
Showing 3 of 906 records for Gardner in Canada.
Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · 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. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · City of Niagara Falls. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Niagara Falls. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax. · Contains information provided by the City of Waterloo under licence. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0).
United Kingdom315 records
- War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 132
- Stirling Council burial records 119
- Other British records 64
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Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919 War record Henry Rule GardnerBorn 1873 at Portsmouth. Served in the First World War. Named in the University of Aberdeen roll of service in the Great War, 1914-1919.
National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain) -
Example: burial register, 1858 Burial record James GardnerBuried in 1921 at Ballengeich Cemetery, Stirling, Scotland, aged 39.
Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. -
Example: probate petition, 1848 Probate record Margaret GardnerWill proved in 1934; of Swansea.
National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0)
Showing 3 of 315 records for Gardner in the United Kingdom.
Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain) · National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0). 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); Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain).
New Zealand83 records
- Christchurch City cemetery records 58
- Timaru and Mackenzie District cemetery records 6
- Other New Zealand records 19
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Example: burial register, 1858 Burial record Amelia May GardnerDied 1999, aged 75; buried at Avonhead Memorial Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.
Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) -
Example: burial register, 1858 Burial record George Gersham GardnerBuried in 1955 at Totara Memorial Park Cemetery, Thames-Coromandel District, Waikato, aged 93.
Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0) -
Example: burial register, 1858 Burial record Walter Ernest GardnerDied 1938, aged 35; buried at Omaka Cemetery, Marlborough.
Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0)
Showing 3 of 83 records for Gardner in New Zealand.
Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · Canterbury Maps (Environment Canterbury), Timaru and Mackenzie District Councils (CC BY 3.0 NZ) · Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0) · Waimakariri District Council (CC BY 4.0) · Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).
Netherlands54 records
- Dutch church registers before 1811 19
- Dutch population registers 18
- Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 17
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Example: marriage register, 1911 Marriage record Susanna Sofia GardnerMarried in 1815 in Hoorn. Died 1816 in Hoorn, aged 20.
Open Archives, Noord-Hollands Archief (CC BY 4.0) -
Example: marriage register, 1911 Marriage record William Alfred GardnerMarried in 1946 in Nijmegen; "melkbezorger".
Open Archives, Gelders Archief (CC BY 4.0) -
Example: marriage register, 1911 Marriage record Stanley Hall GardnerMarried in 1919 in Groningen; "graanfactor".
Open Archives, Groninger Archieven (CC BY 4.0)
Showing 3 of 54 records for Gardner 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).
France18 records
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Example: French death register, 1930 Death record Lesly GardnerBorn 1943 in Trinidad; died 2001 in Saint-Martin (Guadeloupe).
Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte) -
Example: French death register, 1930 Death record Constance Irene GardnerBorn 1907 in the United Kingdom; died 1991 in Argenteuil (Val-d'Oise).
Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
Showing 2 of 18 records for Gardner 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).
Ireland3 records
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Example: burial register, 1858 Burial record Bridget GardnerDied 1964; buried at Clonburn, Co. Galway.
Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0)
Showing 1 of 3 records for Gardner in Ireland.
Counts: Galway County 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).
Germany2 records
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Example: German casualty list, 1918 Casualty list Johann GardnerFrom Lahnamühle. Reported taken prisoner in the Prussian casualty list of 16 May 1918.
Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)
Showing 1 of 2 records for Gardner 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).
Other spellings of this name
The same name, spelled another way.
Spellings that H. B. Guppy (England and Wales, 1890) or the Registrar-General for Ireland (births index of 1890) counted as one name together with Gardner.
Nearby in the index
Surnames next to Gardner.
- Garden 1,917 · U.S. census
- Gardere 208 · U.S. census
- Gardin 886 · U.S. census
- Gardiner 11,331 · U.S. census
- Gardini 228 · U.S. census
- Gardinier 587 · U.S. census
- Gardon 315 · U.S. census
- Gardy 252 · U.S. census
- Gare 135 · U.S. census
- Gareau 469 · U.S. census
- Garel 220 · U.S. census
- Garelli 148 · U.S. census
When the index is not enough
This page says where Gardner is.
A volume says what happened to it.
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