Show ContentsGarnier History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The generations and branches of the Garnier family share a name that has its roots in the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. The name Garnier comes from the baptismal name Garnier. [1] Baptismal names began to appear as surnames relatively late in the growth of the naming tradition. Alternatively, the name could have been derived from the Old French word "gerner," or "gernier" which means a "storehouse for corn" or "keeper of the granary." [2] [3]

However, we should point out to the reader that Bardsley disagrees with this latter in his reference: "It has nothing to do with a granary, as suggested by Lower." He claims that the name could have also been originally an occupational name as in "the gardener," which was corrupted to Gardner and later Garner. [1]

Early Origins of the Garnier family

The surname Garnier was first found in Rutland where the first record was found in the original Latin form, Garnerius de Nugent who was listed there 1170-1183. Later Geoffre Gerner was listed in the Feet of Fines of Essex in 1272 and Willam del Gerner was listed in the Subsidy Rolls of Lancashire in 1332. [2]

Warner or Garnier (fl. 1106), was an early writer of homilies and a monk of Westminster. He was present at the translation of the relics of St. Withburga, 1106. [4]

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 has only one listing of the family, Stephen Gemer who was listed as being in Lincolnshire at that time. The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 lists Johannes Garner. The Lancashire Wills at Richmond list: Christopher Gardiner, or Garner in 1584; John Gardiner, or Garner, of Aldingham in the same year; and Christopher Garner, of Much Urswicke in 1575. [1]

Early History of the Garnier family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Garnier research. Another 71 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1170, 1280, 1592, 1624, 1645, 1646, 1674, 1690, 1754, 1769, 1789, 1839, 1868 and 1906 are included under the topic Early Garnier History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Garnier Spelling Variations

Until quite recently, the English language has lacked a definite system of spelling rules. Consequently, Anglo-Saxon surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. Changes in Anglo-Saxon names were influenced by the evolution of the English language, as it incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other languages. Although Medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, so it is common to find one person referred to by several different spellings of his surname, even the most literate people varied the spelling of their own names. Variations of the name Garnier include Garner, Garnier, Gerner and others.

Early Notables of the Garnier family

Notables of this surname at this time include: Adrian Garner, British sheriff who held the joint position of Sheriff of Nottingham, England from 1645 to 1646. Thomas Gardner (c. 1592-1674) was an Overseer of the "old planters" party of the Dorchester Company who landed in 1624 at Cape Ann to form a colony at what is now known as Gloucester. Thomas Gardner (1690-1769) was an English antiquary from Ombersley, Worcestershire who was particularly interested in Dunwich in Suffolk, a town mostly lost to coastal erosion, and published a history in 1754...
Another 91 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Garnier Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Garnier Ranking

In France, the name Garnier is the 32nd most popular surname with an estimated 48,973 people with that name. [5]


United States Garnier migration to the United States +

Searching for a better life, many English families migrated to British colonies. Unfortunately, the majority of them traveled under extremely harsh conditions: overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the ocean. For those families that arrived safely, modest prosperity was attainable, and many went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the new colonies. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Garnier or a variant listed above:

Garnier Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Isaac Garnier, who settled in Pennsylvania in 1686
  • Daniel Garnier who settled in Carolina with his wife, Elizabet Fanton, and his four daughters, Etienne, Rachel, Marguerite and Anne, in 1695
  • Elizabeth Garnier, who settled in Carolina in 1695
Garnier Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Isaac Garnier, who settled in New York in 1715
  • Miss Marie Francoise Garnier, (b. 1785), aged infant, French settler traveling aboard the ship "Le Saint-Remi" arriving in New Orleans, Louisiana on 10th September 1785 [6]
  • Mr. Jean Garnier, (b. 1751), aged 34, French carpenter traveling aboard the ship "Le Saint-Remi" arriving in New Orleans, Louisiana on 10th September 1785 [6]
  • Miss Jeanne Marie Garnier, (b. 1784), aged 1, French settler traveling aboard the ship "Le Saint-Remi" arriving in New Orleans, Louisiana on 10th September 1785 [6]
  • Mrs. Ozite Perpetue Garnier, (nee Theriot), (b. 1765), aged 20, French settler traveling aboard the ship "Le Saint-Remi" arriving in New Orleans, Louisiana on 10th September 1785 [6]
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Garnier Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Laurent Garnier, aged 52, settled in New Orleans in 1822
  • Louis Charles Garnier, who settled in Philadelphia in 1834
  • I. V. Garnier, aged 31, settled in Savannah, Georgia, in 1847
  • James Garnier, who settled in Philadelphia in 1879
  • David Garnier, aged 51, settled in New York in 1892

Canada Garnier migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Garnier Settlers in Canada in the 17th Century
  • Mr. Nicolas Garnier, French settler travelling to Canada for work arriving on 9th April 1642 [7]
  • Mr. Jean Garnier, French settler travelling to Canada for work arriving on 3rd September 1642 [7]
  • Miss Jeanne Garnier, French settler travelling to Canada to work for François Peron, arriving on 10th April 1657 [7]
  • Marie Garnier, who landed in Montreal in 1659
  • Michelle Garnier, who landed in Montreal in 1659
Garnier Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • Etienne Garnier, who settled in Quebec in 1760
  • Pierre-Alexis Garnier, who settled in Quebec in 1776
  • Antoine Garnier, who settled in Quebec in 1796

Contemporary Notables of the name Garnier (post 1700) +

  • Tony Garnier (b. 1955), American bassist, best known as an accompanist to Bob Dylan
  • Thomas Garnier the Elder (1776-1873), English prelate, Dean of Winchester, second son of George Garnier, Esq., of Rookesbury, Hampshire [8]
  • Thomas Garnier the Younger (1809-1863), English prelate, Dean of Lincoln, second son of the Rev. Thomas Garnier the Elder, Dean of Winchester
  • Edward Henry Garnier QC (b. 1952), English barrister and Conservative Party politician
  • Pierre Dominique Garnier, French Divisional General during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars from 1789 to 1815 [9]
  • Brigadier-General Paul-Henri-Maurice Garnier (1889-1959), French Deputy General Officer Commanding Lebanese Territories (1941) [10]
  • Tony Garnier, French Architect, who designed the Olympic stadium in Lyon
  • Marie Joseph François Garnier (1835-1873), French officer and explorer
  • Laurent Garnier (b. 1966), French techno music producer
  • Charles Garnier (1825-1898), French architect, designer of the Opéra Garnier and the Opéra de Monte-Carlo


  1. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  2. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  3. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  4. Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
  5. http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
  6. 7 Ships Acadian Expedition of 1785 retrieved 4th October 2021 from http://www.acadian-cajun.com/7ships.htm
  7. Debien, Gabriel. Liste Des Engagés Pour Le Canada Au XVIIe Siècle. Vol. 6, Laval University, 1952. (Retreived 24th May 2018). Retrieved from https://lebloguedeguyperron.wordpress.com/2016/06/30/130-liste-des-contrats-dengagement-pour-la-nouvelle-france-releves-a-la-rochelle-entre-1634-et-1679/
  8. Wikisource contributors. "Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900." Wikisource . Wikisource , 4 Jun. 2018. Web. 30 June 2020
  9. Generals Who Served in the French Army during the Period 1789-1815. (Retrieved 2015, March 5) Pierre Garnier. Retrieved from http://www.napoleon-series.org/research/c_frenchgenerals.html
  10. Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2011, October 5) Paul-Henri-Maurice Garnier. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Garnier/Paul-Henri-Maurice/France.html


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