2000
#6,618
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,719
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.75
Rare Last name
Gainer
An occupational surname for a measurer or assayer of wool or other textiles.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,286 Americans carry the last name Gainer. That puts it at #7,025 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.54 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 64,842 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gainer surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Gainer with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.3K
1 in 64,842
Census rank
#7,025
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,610 bearers of the surname Gainer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.54 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7025th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gainer, the largest self-reported group is White at 60.3%. The next largest groups are Black (32.0%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gainer
The surname Gainer originated in England during the late medieval period. It is derived from the Old English word "gainer," which means "to gain or acquire." The name was likely given to someone who was successful in acquiring land, wealth, or possessions.
The earliest known record of the Gainer surname dates back to the 13th century. In 1273, a man named William le Gainer was mentioned in the Hundred Rolls of Norfolk. This document was a survey of landowners in England commissioned by King Edward I.
Another early reference to the name can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire in 1301, where a John Gainer was listed as a taxpayer. This suggests that the Gainer family had established themselves as landowners in Yorkshire by the early 14th century.
The Gainer surname has also been recorded with variations in spelling, such as Gayner, Gaynor, and Ganer. These variations were common during the Middle Ages due to inconsistencies in record-keeping and regional dialects.
One notable person with the Gainer surname was Sir Thomas Gainer (1475-1547), a wealthy merchant and philanthropist from London. He was a member of the Worshipful Company of Drapers and served as the Lord Mayor of London in 1536.
Another prominent figure was Richard Gainer (1564-1623), an English author and clergyman. He was born in Gloucestershire and served as the rector of Wanstead in Essex. He is best known for his work "The Pandect of the Professions and Trades," published in 1610.
In the 17th century, the Gainer surname was also found in the American colonies. One of the earliest known settlers with this name was William Gainer, who arrived in Virginia in 1635.
During the 18th century, the Gainer family had a strong presence in the county of Wiltshire, England. Notable members included John Gainer (1712-1789), a wealthy landowner and benefactor, and his son, William Gainer (1745-1812), who served as the High Sheriff of Wiltshire in 1793.
Another significant figure with the Gainer surname was Sir Robert Gainer (1820-1892), a British politician and industrialist. He was born in Lancashire and made his fortune in the textile industry. He served as a Member of Parliament for Coventry from 1874 to 1892.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gainer
Among Census respondents with the surname Gainer, the largest self-reported group is White at 60.3%. The next largest groups are Black (32.0%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Gainer bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Gainer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White60.3% · 2,779
- Black or African American32.0% · 1,475
- Two or more races4.1% · 191
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 116
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 32
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 17
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gainer
Gainer appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#6,729
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,012
+293 bearers (+6.2%)
Per 100,000 1.70
Rank movement Down 111 places
2020
#7,025
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,610
-402 bearers (-8.0%)
Per 100,000 1.54
Rank movement Down 296 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,618 | 4,719 | 1.75 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,729 | 5,012 | 1.70 | +293 bearers (+6.2%) | Down 111 places |
| 2020 | #7,025 | 4,610 | 1.54 | -402 bearers (-8.0%) | Down 296 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Gainer surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #6,729 | #7,025 | -4.4% |
| Count | 5,012 | 4,610 | -8.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.70 | 1.54 | -9.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gainer bearers went from 5,012 to 4,610 (-8.0% change). The surname moved down 296 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,729 to #7,025.
FAQ
Gainer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gainer?
Name Census estimates that about 5,286 living Americans carry the surname Gainer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 64,842 residents.
How common is Gainer?
Gainer ranks #7,025 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.54 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,610 people with the surname Gainer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,286), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.54 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.54 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Gainer.
Has Gainer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gainer went from 5,012 recorded bearers to 4,610. That is a decrease of 402 (-8.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,729 to #7,025.
What does the Census say about the background of Gainer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gainer, the largest self-reported group is White at 60.3%. The next largest groups are Black (32.0%) and Two or More Races (4.1%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Gainer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 60.3% (2,779 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gainer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (60.3%), Black (32.0%), Two or More Races (4.1%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Gainer (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Gainer mean?
An occupational surname for a measurer or assayer of wool or other textiles. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Gainer (1.54 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many Americans have the surname Gainer?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.