Gairdinar History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland
Scotland

The ancient name of Gairdinar finds its origins with the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. It comes from a name for a gardener. The surname Gairdinar 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 Gairdinar family

The surname Gairdinar 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 Gairdinar family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Gairdinar 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 Gairdinar History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Gairdinar Spelling Variations

Sound was what guided spelling in the essentially pre-literate Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Also, before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Therefore, spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Gairdinar family name include Gardiner, Gardner and others.

Early Notables of the Gairdinar 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 Gairdinar Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Gairdinar family to Ireland

Some of the Gairdinar 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.

Migration of the Gairdinar family

For political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, the Canadas, the America colonies, and many of smaller tropical colonies in the hope of finding better lives abroad. Although the passage on the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving, those families that survived the trip often went on to make valuable contributions to those new societies to which they arrived. Early immigrants bearing the Gairdinar surname or a spelling variation of the name include : Lyon Gardiner who settled in Saybrook, Long Island, after sailing in his 25 ton ketch called "Bachelor" in 1633. He purchased the island from the Indians, and this famous island was first known as Gardiner's Island. His daughter, Mary, was the first white person born on Long Island. Christopher Gardiner, came to New England in 1630.

Citations +

Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
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)