Show ContentsGarden History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The tale of the name Garden begins with a family who lived in the barony of Gardyne, which was in the parish of Kirkden in the county of Angus. The surname Garden belongs to the large category of Anglo-Saxon habitation names, which are derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads.

Early Origins of the Garden family

The surname Garden was first found in Angus (Gaelic: Aonghas), part of the Tayside region of northeastern Scotland, and present day Council Area of Angus, formerly known as Forfar or Forfarshire.

"The name is now common in Arnbroath and neighborhood, and persons of the name have held lands in Aberdeen, Banff, and Perth for centuries. " 1

Some of the first on record include William Gardeyn of Angus and William du Gardyn of Edinburghshire who rendered homage to King Edward I of England in 1296. In the same year a writ was directed to the sheriff of Edinbergli in behalf of Henry de Gerdino. And later, Patrick Gardyne de eodem appears as witness in 1450. 1

Further to the south in England, William del Gardin was listed c. 1183 in Oxfordshire, William Gardin was listed in the Curia Regis Rolls for Huntingdonshire in 1220 and John atte Gardyne was listed in the Subsidy Rolls for Sussex in 1296. 2

"A branch of the Jardines settled in Kent, where they gave their name to their residence, Jardines, in the parish of Leybourne. The last owner, Thomas de Gardinis, died 2 Edward III., and left no sons. Another was seated in Somersetshire from the time of Henry III., whence Emeric de Gardino or Gordain acquired through his marriage some estates there." 3

Early History of the Garden family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Garden research. Another 119 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1296, 1574, 1585, 1609, 1634, 1649 and 1733 are included under the topic Early Garden History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Garden Spelling Variations

Before the first dictionaries appeared in the last few hundred years, scribes spelled according to sound. spelling variations are common among Scottish names. Garden has been spelled Garden, Gardine, Gardyne, Jardine, Gardin, Gardan, Gardane, Jarden, Jardyne, Jardene and many more.

Early Notables of the Garden family

Notable amongst the Clan at this time was

  • George Garden (1649-1733), Scottish divine, a younger son of Alexander Garden, minister of Forgue in Aberdeenshire. 4
  • Alexander Gardyne (1585?-1634?), Scotch poet, "an advocate in Aberdeen, was probably born about 1585, as he was master of arts before 1609, when he produced his ‘Garden of Grave and Godlie Flowers.’ T...

Garden Ranking

In the United States, the name Garden is the 9,837th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 5

Ireland Migration of the Garden family to Ireland

Some of the Garden family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Garden migration to the United States +

In those unstable times, many had no choice but to leave their beloved homelands. Sickness and poverty hounded travelers to North America, but those who made it were welcomed with land and opportunity. These settlers gave the young nations of Canada and the United States a strong backbone as they stood up for their beliefs as United Empire Loyalists and in the American War of Independence. In this century, the ancestors of these brave Scots have begun to recover their illustrious heritage through Clan societies and other heritage organizations. Early passenger and immigration lists reveal many Scottish settlers bearing the name Garden:

Garden Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • George Garden, who settled in Virginia in 1649
Garden Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Alexander Garden, who arrived in South Carolina in 1743 6
  • James Garden, who arrived in Virginia in 1754 6
  • Peter Garden who purchased land in Georgia in 1773
Garden Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Joseph Garden, who arrived in New York in 1823 6
  • Humfrey Garden, who landed in Virginia in 1884 6

Canada Garden migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Garden Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • Mr. William Garden U.E. who settled in Fredericton, New Brunswick c. 1784 he was Assistant Deputy Commissionar General of Fredericton 7
Garden Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • Miles Garden was in Gallops Company in the abortive expedition on Quebec by Sir William Phipps

Australia Garden migration to Australia +

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

Garden Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Miss Hannah Garden, (b. 1811), aged 19, Scottish servant who was convicted in Aberdeen, Scotland for 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Earl of Liverpool" in December 1830, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 8
  • Frederick Garden, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Lady Emma" in 1837 9

Contemporary Notables of the name Garden (post 1700) +

  • Alexander Garden (1730-1791), American botanist, born at Charleston, South Carolina, son of Alexander Garden, born in Scotland in 1685 who went out to Charleston in 1719 as a clergyman of the church of England 10
  • Nancy Garden (b. 1938), American author
  • Mary Garden (1874-1967), Scottish-American operatic soprano
  • Martin Garden, American politician, Socialist Labor Candidate for Presidential Elector for Pennsylvania, 1900 11
  • Jack Garden, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from California, 1964 11
  • G. Allen Garden, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from West Virginia, 1960 11
  • Mrs. E. L. Garden, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from North Dakota, 1924 11
  • Anton Garden, American politician, Candidate for Presidential Elector for Ohio, 1928 11
  • A. D. Garden, American politician, Member of West Virginia State House of Delegates from Ohio County, 1887-92 11
  • Francis Garden (1810-1884), Scottish theologian, son of Alexander Garden, a Glasgow merchant 10
  • ... (Another 6 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)


The Garden Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Cruciata cruce junguntur
Motto Translation: Crosses are joined to the cross.


  1. 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)
  2. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  3. Cleveland, Dutchess of The Battle Abbey Roll with some Account of the Norman Lineages. London: John Murray, Abermarle Street, 1889. Print. Volume 2 of 3
  4. Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
  5. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  6. 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)
  7. 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
  8. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 20th August 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/earl-of-liverpool
  9. State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) LADY EMMA 1837. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1837LadyEmma.htm
  10. Wikisource contributors. "Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900." Wikisource . Wikisource , 4 Jun. 2018. Web. 30 June 2020
  11. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 23) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


Houseofnames.com on Facebook