Jardine
A Scottish surname most often linked to a place-name meaning “garden” or “gardener.”
The #8,335 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 77,711 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Jardine is generally taken from Old French jardin, meaning “garden,” which entered Scots and English as a surname form. It is often explained as a locational or topographic name, referring to someone who lived by a garden or in a place called Garden, with Jardine representing an older Scottish spelling or pronunciation. Some 19th-century writers also connect it with the surname Garden/Gardyne as a related or earlier form.
History
The name is documented in Scotland very early, with one authority noting a bearer before 1153. In England, related Garden forms appear from the late 1100s, and later writers treated Jardine as a Scottish variant of the same family of names. The surname is still especially associated with Scotland and Scottish-descended families.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
One historical source specifically calls Jardine an old Scottish form and links it to residence “at the garden.”
From the historical record
“twelfth century. JARDINE. The first of that name on record is found in Scotland before 1153. In England there have been Gardens from the end of the twelfth century. JAY or GAI, not in Domesday, but the name is found in the first half of the twelfth century. Probably a descriptive appellation. The modern form of the…”
— Family Names and their Story