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Garrison History Etymology Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Suggested Reading Citations

Garrison History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Etymology of Garrison

What does the name Garrison mean?

Garrison is one of the many names that the Normans brought with them when they conquered England in 1066. The name Garrison came from the baptismal name Garrison, which means Gerard. That name was originally derived from the Old German Gerhard, which literally means spear-brave. 1

Baptismal names began to appear as surnames relatively late in the growth of the naming tradition. This is a little surprising, given the popularity of biblical figures in the Christian countries of Europe. Nevertheless, surnames derived from baptismal names grew in popularity during the Middle Ages, and have become one of the foremost sources for surnames.

Early Origins of the Garrison family

The surname Garrison was first found in the North Riding of Yorkshire where the family originated in Garriston, a small township, in the parish of Haukswell, union of Leyburn, wapentake of Hang-West. 2 3

Early History of the Garrison family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Garrison research. Another 130 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1066 and 1613 are included under the topic Early Garrison History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Garrison Spelling Variations

It is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, Anglo-Norman surnames like Garrison are characterized by many spelling variations. Scribes and monks in the Middle Ages spelled names they sounded, so it is common to find several variations that refer to a single person. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages such as Norman French and Latin, even literate people regularly changed the spelling of their names. The variations of the name Garrison include Gear, Gayre, Gyre, Garrison, McGair, Kerrison and many more.

Early Notables of the Garrison family

More information is included under the topic Early Garrison Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Garrison Ranking

In the United States, the name Garrison is the 578^th most popular surname with an estimated 49,740 people with that name. 4

Garrison migration to the United States +

Faced with the chaos present in England at that time, many English families looked towards the open frontiers of the New World with its opportunities to escape oppression and starvation. People migrated to North America, as well as Australia and Ireland in droves, paying exorbitant rates for passages in cramped, unsafe ships. Many of the settlers did not make the long passage alive, but those who did see the shores of North America were welcomed with great opportunity. Many of the families that came from England went on to make essential contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America carried the name Garrison, or a variant listed above:

Garrison Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

John Garrison, who arrived in Maryland in 1661 5

Garrison Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Phillip Garrison, who arrived in Virginia in 1705 5
Susanna Garrison, who arrived in New York, NY in 1743 5
Nic Garrison, who arrived in New York, NY, in 1743 5
Nic, Garrison Jr., who landed in New York, NY in 1743 5
Nicholas Garrison, who arrived in New York, NY in 1744 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Garrison Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Samuel Garrison, aged 38, who landed in New York in 1812 5
William Lloyd Garrison who was mobbed in the streets of Boston in 1835 because he was an abolitionist(slavery)
D. R. Garrison, who settled in San Francisco in 1850
Capt. Garrison, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1850 5
George Garrison, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1851 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Garrison migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Garrison Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Mr. John Garrison U.E. born in Massachusetts, USA who arrived at Belle Vue, Beaver Harbor, Charlotte County, New Brunswick c. 1783 6
Mr. Daniel Garrison U.E. born in Massachusetts, USA who settled in St. John River, New Brunswick c. 1783 he drowned in the St. John River 6
Ms. Elizabeth Garrison U.E., "Betsy" born in Massachusetts, USA who settled in St. John River, New Brunswick c. 1784 6
Mr. Abijah Garrison U.E. born in Massachusetts, USA who settled in Saint John, New Brunswick c. 1784 6
Mr. Joseph Garrison U.E. born in Massachusetts, USA who settled in St. John River, New Brunswick c. 1784 6
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Garrison migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Garrison Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Emanuel Garrison, (b. 1816), aged 24, American blacksmith who was convicted in Kingston, Ontario, Canada for life for unlawful invasion, transported aboard the "Brothers" on 28th September 1839, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land), captured at the battle of Windmill in 1838 7

Garrison migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Garrison Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Susannah Garrison, aged 23, a servant, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Hermione" in 1878

Contemporary Notables of the name Garrison (post 1700) +

Walter Benton Garrison (1944-2023), American retired NFL football fullback
Jim Garrison (1921-1992), American actor and writer, born in Knoxville, Iowa, USA, known for JFK (1991), The Big Easy (1986) and Issues and Answers (1960)
Grant Garrison, American actor, known for The Island, Arlington Road (1999) and Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997)
Greg Garrison (1924-2005), American director and producer, known for The Dean Martin Show (1965), The Danny Kaye Show with Lucille Ball (1962) and NBC: The First Fifty Years (1976); he directed nearly 4,000 shows in his career and was nominated for more than a dozen Emmys
Chris Garrison (b. 1972), American actor from Tampa, Florida, USA, known for his work on Deadly Squids from Beyond Saturn (2004), The Electric Heartbreaker (2000) and Cartoon Sushi (1997)
Michael Garrison (1922-1966), American producer, best remembered as the creator of the television series The Wild Wild West
Lane Edward Garrison (b. 1980), American actor
Michael Garrison, American academic, former president of West Virginia University
Vermont Garrison (1915-1994), American fighter pilot credited with 17.33 victories
David Earl Garrison (b. 1952), American actor
... (Another 8 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 5th November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/buffalo