Heraldry and the Garrison Surname

People named Garrison share a Welsh surname with a long history. Smith's 1956 dictionary gives the meaning “the son of Garry, a pet form of Garrath (spear, firm)”.

Researching the origin

It is a patronymic: it named a person after a father or forebear.

How common is Garrison?

According to the 2010 US Census, the Garrison surname had 50,686 bearers. That is enough to place it in the top 1,000 American surnames.

Heraldry and the Garrison name

If a Garrison family bore arms, our report explains whose they were and what the blazon shows.

Want more than a summary? See the Garrison family name pack.