Gardner Surname Variations in Scottish Records

Date: [unknown] [unknown]
Location: [unknown]
Surname/tag: GARDNER, GARDINER, GARDENER

Some interesting spelling variations and statistics for the surname GARDNER in Scottish records.

While researching certain locations in Scotland that my Y-DNA haplogroup and matching results suggested a potential location for ancestors, I came across some interesting spelling variations and frequency data that I wanted to document for future reference.

The first is a surname database that is available online at the Old Scottish Genealogy and Family History website (link to "G" surnames).

This table summarizes the Gardner (and variants) surname frequency in the Scottish Records used in the database :

• The common surname “Grant” is used for comparison;
• Rank is based on frequency in all available records and surnames are listed in ranking order;
• Columns 3 (1841) and 4 (1911) are the frequency of the surname per 100k based on the census records for those years;
• Column 5, Concentration, is a measure of geographic localization of the surname–higher number means more geographic concentration of the surname;
• County 1-3 are the top three in surname frequency in the 1841 census.

Surname	Rank	1841	1911	Conc.	County-1	County-2	County-3
Grant	20	459	688	10.7	Moray	Banffshire	Nairnshire
—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Gardner	237	108	152	4.5	West Lothian	Dunbartonshire	Stirlingshire
Gardiner	333	37.6	124.4	3.7	Banffshire	Kinross	Perthshire
Garden	516	21.7	42.8	9.8	Banffshire	Moray	Aberdeen
Gardener	1813	16.3	10.9	6.9	Clackmannanshire	Stirlingshire	Dunbartonshire
Gairdner	2694	2.47	1.74	9.1	Clackmannanshire	Ayrshire	West Lothian
Gardyne	2709	2.12	3.09	15.3	Angus	Dundee City	---
Gairdener	6879	0	0.04	0	---	---	---

Note:

1. The tripling of the Gardiner surname frequency between 1841 and 1911.

2. No Garner or Gartner surnames in the database.

Another record I found in the Scottish National Library was a collection of legal papers belonging to the Gardiner family of Banff. They cover a time period from 1721 to 1804 including wills, promissory notes, deeds, letters, receipts, etc. It illustrates how the spelling of one family's surname changed over the decades.

The following is an abbreviated listing of the documents in timeline style. The original document list can be found at: https://digital.nls.uk/catalogues/guide-to-manuscript-collections/inventories/acc7798.pdf :

• 1721 Deed - George Gairden, Blair Shinnock, Burgess and Freeman of Banff
• 1754 Marriage contract - James Gairden, eldest son of George Gairden, late of Denhead and now in Backlaw, and Elspeth Wilson, daughter of John Wilson of ?Kowiemuir.
• 1761 Memorandum- James Gairden, Culbeuchlie, Liferent Tack...
• 1762 James Gairden, Agreement between James Gairden in Culbeuchlie & Peter Gray in Warilyn that rent…
• 1782 James Gairden, admitting James Gairden, Merchant Apprentice to Baillie Aven, Burgess Freeman and Gild Brother of Banff.
• 1783 James Gairden Jnr, James Gairdiner (Sr?)--Receipt from James Gairden Jnr to James Gairdiner…
• 1786 George Gairdner son of James Gairdner–Receipt from George Gairdner lawful son of James Gairdner…
• 1791 George Gardener, James Gardener–Letter asking for financial payment to Elspeth Wilson, relect of James Gardener, under George Gardener'’ Laterwill, Lord ?Dashford'’ Bond to her husband, and James Gardener'’ Disposition in favour of his son John.
• 1796 James Gardiner, Planter, in Swanswick, Trelawney, Jamaica, letter to Mrs Alexander Aven, Banff.
• 1804 James Gardiner, Planter, in Trelawney, Jamaica, letter to Mr. Alexander Aven.

The Gardiners were apparently involved with the West Indies trade and likely had connections to the North America plantations.

See also :

• The Gardner-Surname Y-DNA Project.