US rank #4561 Boys' name Peak 1915 2,997 births

Gardner — #4561 US boys' name

2,997 babies named Gardner in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1915. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.

1880s391890s251900s691910s4261920s4811930s3331940s3251950s2341960s3441970s1651980s1351990s1122000s1182010s1152020s76
#4561
of 14,243 boys in use

More common than 68% of names given to boys today.

1920s
Peak decade

16% of everyone ever named Gardner was born in this single decade.

1915
Single peak year

65 babies were named Gardner in 1915 — its busiest year on record.

What the Data Says About Gardner

The Social Security Administration has registered 2,997 babies named Gardner between 1880 and 2024, spanning 145 consecutive years of U.S. birth records. As a boy's name, Gardner currently holds the #4561 rank among boys for 2024. The name reached its historical peak in 1915, when 65 babies received it in a single year.

Decade-level aggregation shows that Gardner performed strongest in the 1920s, accumulating 481 births during that ten-year window. Across the 15 decades of recorded activity, Gardner shows a clear decline from its mid-century high. Geographically, the name is most concentrated in Massachusetts, which accounts for 281 births — the largest state-level total in the dataset — followed by New York and California. In total, SSA state-level files list Gardner in 10 of the 51 U.S. reporting jurisdictions.

No etymological entry is currently available for Gardner in our reference dataset. These figures derive from SSA's annual national and state-level name files, which include any name appearing at least five times in a given year or state-year; names below that threshold are suppressed for privacy and therefore excluded from the totals shown here. The 2,997 total represents a lower bound — actual usage may be higher in years or states where the count fell below the disclosure floor. This page is provided for informational and research purposes only and does not constitute personal, legal, or naming advice.

Gardner at a glance

Outside the top 1,000

Total births

2,997

Since 1880

145 years of records

Peak year

1915

65 births that year

Strongest decade: 1920s

Current rank

#4,561

Among boys

As of 2024

Active since

1880

Recorded for 145 years

Last year on file: 2024

Gardner popularity over time — boys

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 2024–1880

Outside the top 1,000
Peak year (1915)
65
Annual births at peak — across 145 years of records
020406080 202420071990197319561939192219041880 5

Gardner popularity over time — girls

5 total births recorded since 2012 (Gardner as girls' name)

Unisex variant — 5 births
5 2012 5

Gardner by decade

Total births in each ten-year window — peak vs trough at a glance

Peak: 1920s
Peak decade
1920s
481 births that decade — 16% of Gardner's all-time total
1880s391890s251900s691910s4261920s4811930s3331940s3251950s2341960s3441970s1651980s1351990s1122000s1182010s1152020s76

Gardner by state

Where Gardner concentrates geographically — total births since 1880

Geographically diffuse
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Gardner
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 Massachusetts
281 9.4%
#2 New York
68 2.3%
#3 California
16 0.5%
#4 Pennsylvania
10 0.3%
#5 Kentucky
7 0.2%
#6 Missouri
6 0.2%
#7 Florida
5 0.2%
#8 Illinois
5 0.2%
Massachusetts share of Gardner's total US births 9.4%
Even split

281 of 2,997 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 10 reporting states.

Gardner appears in 10 states. Explore state details →

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Gardner?
2,997 babies have been named Gardner since 1880. It currently ranks #4561 among boys. The peak year was 1915 with 65 births.
When was Gardner most popular?
Gardner was most popular in the 1920s decade with 481 total births. The single peak year was 1915.
Where is Gardner most popular?
The top states for the name Gardner are Massachusetts (281 births), New York (68 births), California (16 births).
How long has the name Gardner been used?
Gardner has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 145 years of data through 2024.
What names are similar to Gardner?
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Gary, Garrett, Garry, Garland, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.

Keep exploring Gardner

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Data Sources

Data as of 2024. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).

Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications — National Data, 1880–2024 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames). National-level data includes all names with 5 or more occurrences in a given year.

State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names — State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip). Includes all names with 5 or more occurrences per state per year; rarer names are excluded for privacy.