Garrard County is a county located east-central Kentucky. As of the 2020 census, the county's population was 16,953. Its county seat is Lancaster. The county was formed in 1796 and was named for James Garrard, Governor of Kentucky from 1796 to 1804. One of the earliest settlers was Harman Back Jr. (1737–1797). He, his wife Katherine, and their three sons had migrated there, in 1789, from Little Fork, Virginia.