The Garrison surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 50,686 people carried this name — #677 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 5,820 people counted. About the same as in 2000 (50,482).

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What the name means

The meaning of the Garrison surname

From Garrett + -son.

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Garrison» (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 baptismal name, from a given name: ‘the son of Gerard’.

His entry covers Garretson, Garrison and Garrettson.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 310 · public domain.

In the first U.S. census, 1790

119 families named Garrison, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 707 people lived in those households, 5.9 to a family on average. The table counts it together with 10 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

New York 55
Pennsylvania 21
North Carolina 17
Virginia 11
South Carolina 10
Maryland 4
Rhode Island 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

Garrison in American newspapers,
1899–1921.

Newspaper page from The Anaconda Standard carrying the name Garrison
The Anaconda Standard 1899-11-26
Newspaper page from The Commercial carrying the name Garrison
The Commercial 1921-04-29

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

In print

Garrison in Australian newspapers,
1840s–2000s.

3,164 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Garrison. The most, 1,006, date from the 1910s. South Australia has the most articles, but weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, the name stands out most in the Australian Capital Territory, at 2.6 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

South Australia 842
New South Wales 669
Victoria 591
Queensland 500
Western Australia 304
Tasmania 115
ACT (Canberra) 107
Northern Territory 15

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

Who carried it

People named Garrison,
with a public archive behind them.

  • William Lloyd Garrison
    William Lloyd Garrison 1805–1879 · writer
  • C. K. Garrison
    C. K. Garrison 1809–1885 · businessperson
  • Isaac Garrison 1738–1816
  • Oliver Garrison 1778–1840
  • Daniel Garrison 1782–1851 · politician
  • James Holley Garrison 1801–1842

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 Garrison,
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 States3,956 records

3,956 records of the Garrison name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 1,848
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 804
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 804
  • New York State death index (outside NYC), 1957–2001 303
  • U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 117
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 43
  • U.S. service members who died in the Vietnam War 9
  • Irish Famine arrivals at New York, 1846–1851 8
  • U.S. service members who died in the Korean War 8
  • Sacramento County historic burials 7
  • Riverside Cemetery, Asheville (North Carolina) 3
  • New York State police and firefighter memorial rolls 2
  1. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record George Albert Garrison

    Born 1930; from Nashville, Tennessee. U.S. Army, infantryman; killed in action 1968 in Dinh Tuong, South Vietnam. Buried at Nashville National Cemetery, Tennessee.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Jackson L. Garrison

    Born 1920 in West Virginia. Enlisted 1944 at Columbus, Ohio; machinist from Franklin County, Ohio. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1945, buried at Elk Fork Cemetery, McArthur, Ohio.

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

    Arrived at New York in 1849 aboard the Columbia from Liverpool, aged 18; laborer. From Ireland.

    U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain)

Showing 3 of 3,956 records for Garrison 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) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0) · City of Asheville (public domain, PDDL) · New York State, Open NY (police and firefighter memorial rolls). 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); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Canada290 records

290 records of the Garrison name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 256
  • Halifax municipal cemeteries 11
  • City of Calgary cemetery records 8
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 7
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 5
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 2
  • City of Winnipeg cemetery records 1
  1. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Linus James Garrison

    Buried in 1969 at Burnsland Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 89.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.
  2. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Sarah Ann Garrison

    Died 1942 in Indian Harbour, Halifax, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  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 Laurence Borden Garrison

    Died in service in 1918.

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

Showing 3 of 290 records for Garrison in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax. · 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. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · 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); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Canadian First World War circumstances-of-death register (scan by Scottgraham87 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0).

Australia16 records

16 records of the Garrison name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 14
  • Tasmanian Names Index 1
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 1
  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 Emanuel Garrison

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Buffalo, sailing from Quebec in 1839.

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

    Arrived in Victoria in 1889 aboard the Orizaba, aged 24.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the Livre d’or of the French war dead, Paris
    Example: roll of the war dead
    War record A. W. Garrison

    Australian Infantry. 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 16 records for Garrison in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · 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); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Livre d’or of the war dead, Paris, Ministère des pensions, Archives nationales (CC0).

Netherlands5 records

5 records of the Garrison name in the Netherlands Dutch church registers before 1811
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Geertruijt Garrison

    Married in 1698 in Rotterdam; born in Meurs.

    Open Archives, Stadsarchief Rotterdam (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Steven Jacobus Garrison

    Married in 1757 in Abcoude.

    Open Archives, Het Utrechts Archief (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Estienne Garrison

    Married in 1700 in Abcoude.

    Open Archives, Regionaal Historisch Centrum Vecht en Venen (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 5 records for Garrison 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).

United Kingdom1 record

1 record of the Garrison 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 T. Garrison

    Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1917.

    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 Garrison.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Garrison 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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