The Gaynor surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 6,318 people carried this name — #5,505 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 46,700 people counted. That is up 3% from 6,121 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Gaynor surname

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as a baptismal name, from a given name: ‘the son of Gwenivere’.

An early record he cites: Ralph de Gayton, 1273 — Hundred Rolls.

His entry covers Gaynar, Gaynor, Gainer, Gayner and Gainor.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 312 · public domain.

In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890

Ireland registered 22 births for the Gaynor name in 1890.

They were registered in all four provinces, most of all in Leinster. 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. One of them was indexed under another spelling of the name. The Registrar-General’s note on the name: “Dublin, Westmeath, and Cavan.”

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they were born, 1890

Leinster 15
Ulster 3
Connacht 2
Munster 2

Registrar-General for Ireland, «Special Report on Surnames in Ireland» (R. E. Matheson, 1894), births index of 1890 — public domain.

In Argentina’s national register

At least 228 people named Gaynor live in Argentina.

RENAPER only publishes a name in a province when more than ten people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Buenos Aires Province.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Where they live today

Buenos Aires Province 162
City of Buenos Aires 27
Entre Ríos 16
Córdoba 12
San Luis 11

RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.

In print

Gaynor in American newspapers,
1905.

Newspaper page from The Grenada Sentinel carrying the name Gaynor
The Grenada Sentinel 1905-03-11
Newspaper page from The Weekly Corinthian carrying the name Gaynor
The Weekly Corinthian 1905-03-15
Newspaper page from St. Tammany Farmer carrying the name Gaynor
St. Tammany Farmer 1905-04-08

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 81,383 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Gaynor in Australian newspapers,
1830s–2020s.

12,372 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Gaynor. The most, 3,362, date from the 1930s. New South Wales 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 Western Australia, at 2.3 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 3,527
Western Australia 2,491
Victoria 2,465
Queensland 2,351
South Australia 948
Tasmania 412
ACT (Canberra) 65
Northern Territory 24

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

Who carried it

People named Gaynor,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Keiron K. Gaynor
    Keiron K. Gaynor 1812–1897 · blacksmith
  • William Jay Gaynor
    William Jay Gaynor 1849–1913 · judge
  • William Jay Gaynor
    William Jay Gaynor 1851–1913 · judge
  • Frank R. Gaynor
    Frank R. Gaynor 1852–1920 · judge
  • Ed Gaynor d. 1939 · radio operator
  • Charles Gaynor d. 1975

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 Gaynor,
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 States1,790 records

1,790 records of the Gaynor name in the United States
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 821
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 263
  • Other U.S. records 706
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Robert A. Gaynor

    Born 1922 in Montana. Enlisted 1944 at Fort Macarthur San Pedro, California; welder. U.S. Army Air Forces veteran of World War II; died 1996, buried at Willamette National Cemetery, Oregon.

    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 Brid Gaynor

    Arrived at New York in 1885 aboard the Aurania from Liverpool, aged 20; servant. From Mayo, Ireland.

    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 Kurtis Lane Gaynor

    Born 1949; from Kalama, Washington. U.S. Army, infantryman; died in an accident 1970 in Khanh Hoa, South Vietnam.

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

Showing 3 of 1,790 records for Gaynor in the United States.

Counts: 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, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · 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) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0) · 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); 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).

Australia432 records

432 records of the Gaynor name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 214
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 68
  • Other Australian records 150
  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 Mary Gaynor

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Maria, sailing from Kingston in 1849. Native of Longford. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1850.

    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 Michl Gaynor

    Arrived in Victoria in 1860 aboard the Constantine, aged 35; Irish.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Bernard J. Gaynor

    Ironmonger of East Malvern, Victoria; died 1926.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 432 records for Gaynor 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) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0). 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); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain).

Canada31 records

31 records of the Gaynor name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 22
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 3
  • Other Canadian records 6
  1. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Helen Doris Gaynor

    Buried in 1992 at Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, Nova Scotia, aged 69.

    Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax.
  2. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Elizabeth S. Gaynor

    Died 1931 in 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 Roy Frederick Gaynor

    Died in service in 1916.

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

Showing 3 of 31 records for Gaynor in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · 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. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · Contains information provided by the City of Waterloo under licence · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). 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).

New Zealand18 records

18 records of the Gaynor name in New Zealand
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 17
  • Thames-Coromandel District cemetery records 1
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Mary Gaynor

    Died 1939, aged 61; 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 John Christopher Gaynor

    Buried in 1915 at Shortland Cemetery, Thames-Coromandel District, Waikato.

    Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Una Frances Gaynor

    Died 1986, aged 82; buried at Ruru Lawn, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 18 records for Gaynor in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · Thames-Coromandel District 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 Kingdom4 records

4 records of the Gaynor 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 R. F. Gaynor

    Gunner, Al Garrison Artillery. 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 R. J. Gaynor

    Machine Gun Corps. 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 R. Gaynor

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

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

Showing 3 of 4 records for Gaynor in the United Kingdom.

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 Gaynor.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Gaynor 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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