Show ContentsGartner History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Etymology of Gartner

What does the name Gartner mean?

The Gartner family name dates back to the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. The name comes from when an early member worked as a gardener. The surname Gartner originally derived from the Old French word gardinier. 1

It was later adopted in England after the Norman Conquest of 1066. Occupational names that were derived from the common trades of the medieval era transcended European cultural and linguistic boundaries. Occupational names have remained fairly common in the modern period. This is attested to by the continuing appearance of occupational suffixes at the end of many English surnames. Some of these suffixes include: herd, monger, maker, hewer, smith, and wright. Similarly, surnames of office, which include military, judicial, papal and other positions of authority, are widespread throughout Europe. Those who were involved in the military, or feudal armies, were given names such as the English surname Archer, the French name Chevalier and the German name Jeger, which means hunter. Names that were derived from judicial and papal titles, such asBailiffe, Squire and Abbott, are still commonly seen with the same surname spelling today.

Early Origins of the Gartner family

The surname Gartner was first found in Oxfordshire where they held a family seat from very early times. Early records show William le Gardinier in county Rutland in 1199; William Gardin, listed in the Curia Regis Rolls of Huntingdon in 1218, John atte Gardyne, listed in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex in 1296; and Walter le Gardiner listed in the Subsidy Rolls for London in 1292. 2

The name is "most characteristic of the midland counties, and of the eastern counties south of the Wash. Singularly rare in the south - west, and in the north of England, excepting Lancashire. At present best represented in Essex, Lancashire, and Warwickshire." 3

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 has the following entries for the family: Geoffrey le Gardiner, Oxfordshire; Richard le Gardiner, Cambridgeshire; Ralph le Gardener, Huntingdonshire; and William le Gardiner, or Gardener, Lincolnshire. 4

The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 had only two entries:Thomas Gardiner; and Thomas Garchiner as holding lands there at that time.

In Scotland, the name was rendered in Latin charters as ortolanus and under that spelling the first Scottish record was found: Rogerus Ortolanus, who was juror on an inquest in 1296. "In 1329 there is record of meal delivered to Nicholas Gerdener who is again referred to as Nicholas ortolanus. Gilbert ortolanus is also referred to in the same source. Robert Gardnar was a notary public in the diocese of Dunblane in 1426." 5

Early History of the Gartner family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Gartner research. Another 301 words (22 lines of text) covering the years 1273, 1300, 1370, 1452, 1454, 1458, 1478, 1486, 1493, 1503, 1531, 1535, 1545, 1555, 1589, 1591, 1592, 1599, 1604, 1624, 1635, 1636, 1637, 1640, 1662, 1663, 1668, 1674, 1688, 1695, 1705, 1726, 1732, 1745 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Gartner History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Gartner Spelling Variations

Gartner has been spelled many different ways. Before English spelling became standardized over the last few hundred years, spelling variations in names were a common occurrence. As the English language changed in the Middle Ages, absorbing pieces of Latin and French, as well as other languages, the spelling of people's names also changed considerably, even over a single lifetime. Many variations of the name Gartner have been found, including Gardiner, Gardner and others.

Early Notables of the Gartner family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Stephen Gardiner (c.1493-1555), English prelate, who was made Bishop of Winchester (1531); Richard Gardyner, Lord Mayor of London in 1478; Thomas Gardiner (1591-1662), an English lawyer and politician who sat in the House of Commons in 1640, supporter of the Royalist cause in the English Civil War; Thomas Gardner (c. 1592-1674), English settler to Massachusetts, Overseer of...
Another 64 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Gartner Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Gartner Ranking

In the United States, the name Gartner is the 6,546th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 6

Migration of the Gartner family to Ireland

Some of the Gartner family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 100 words (7 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


Gartner migration to the United States +

In an attempt to escape the chaos experienced in England, many English families boarded overcrowded and diseased ships sailing for the shores of North America and other British colonies. Those families hardy enough, and lucky enough, to make the passage intact were rewarded with land and a social environment less prone to religious and political persecution. Many of these families became important contributors to the young colonies in which they settled. Early immigration and passenger lists have documented some of the first Gartners to arrive on North American shores:

Gartner Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Jacob Gartner, who arrived in New York in 1709 7
  • Margarita Gartner, aged 26, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1731 7
  • Hans Pedder Gartner, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1731
  • Friederick Gartner, aged 35, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1736 7
  • Georg Gartner, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1743 7
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Gartner Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Christ Gartner, who landed in Texas in 1845 7
  • Christian Gartner, who arrived in Galveston, Tex in 1845 7
  • Mrs. Anton Gartner, who landed in America in 1851 7
  • Anna Barb Gartner, who arrived in America in 1853 7
  • Kath Gartner, aged 28, who landed in America in 1853 7
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Gartner migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Gartner Settlers in Canada in the 20th Century
  • Miss Gizella Gartner, Swedish settler who sailed aboard the ship "Stavangerfjord" arriving in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada in 1951

Contemporary Notables of the name Gartner (post 1700) +

  • Gideon I. Gartner (b. 1935), American founder of Gartner, a Stamford, Connecticut information technology company
  • Wolfgang Gartner (b. 1982), born Joseph Youngman, an American house music producer and DJ
  • Lawrence Mitchel Gartner (b. 1933), American physician; his work and research in pediatrics has earned him various awards
  • William Gartner, American politician, Mayor of Wyandotte, Michigan, 1898-99 8
  • Kenneth L. Gartner, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for Justice of New York Supreme Court 10th District, 2001 8
  • Joseph O. Gartner, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate in primary for Delegate to Michigan State Constitutional Convention from Wayne County 18th District, 1961 8
  • George Gartner, American politician, Circuit Judge in Michigan 3rd Circuit, 1888-93 8
  • Frederick J. Gartner Jr. (1906-1984), American Democratic Party politician, Member of Michigan State House of Representatives from Wayne County 4th District, 1935-44 8
  • Fred Christian Gartner (1896-1972), American Republican politician, Member of Pennsylvania State House of Representatives, 1933-34 8
  • Russel Gartner, Australian former rugby league footballer
  • ... (Another 5 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)


  1. Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
  2. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  3. Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
  4. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  5. Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
  6. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  7. 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)
  8. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 18) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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