(male) Transferred use of a surname, which is probably derived from a Norman personal name of Continental Germanic origin, a short form of any of the various compound names beginning with gar ‘spear’. One bearer of this surname was the American industrialist Elbert Henry Gary (1846–1927), who gave his name to the steel town of Gary, Indiana (chartered in 1906). In this town was born the theatrical agent Nan Collins, who suggested Gary as a stage name for her client Frank J. Cooper, who thus became Gary Cooper (1901–61). His film career caused the name to become enormously popular from the 1930s to the present day. Its popularity has been maintained by the cricketer Gary Sobers (b. 1936; in his case it is in fact a pet form of Garfield) and the footballer Gary Lineker (b. 1960). It is now often taken as a pet form of Gareth.
Variant: Garry.
Pet form: Gaz (informal).
English and Scottish: patronymic from the personal name John. As an American family name, Johnson has absorbed patronymics and many other derivatives of this name in continental European languages. (For forms, see Hanks and Hodges 1988.)
FOREBEARS Johnson is the second most frequent surname in the U.S. It was brought independently to North America by many different bearers from the 17th and 18th centuries onward. Andrew Johnson (1808– 75), 17th president of the U.S., was born in Raleigh, NC, the younger son of Jacob Johnson and Mary (or Polly) McDonough.Little is known of his ancestors. The 36th president, Lyndon B. Johnson, dates his American forebears back seven generations to James Johnston (sic) (b. about 1662) who lived at Currowaugh, Nansemond, and Isle of Wight Counties, VA. Noted early bearers also include Marmaduke (d. 1674), a printer who came from England to MA in 1660; Edward (1598–1672), a colonial chronicler who was baptized at St.George's parish, Canterbury, England, and emigrated to Boston in 1630; and Sir Nathaniel (c. 1645–1713), a colonial governor of Carolina, who came from County Durham, England.
