Glora
A feminine name possibly derived from "gloria", meaning "glory" or "splendor".
Name Census estimates that about 105 living Americans carry the first name Glora. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Glora today is around 75 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Glora births was 1929 (17 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Glora. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Glora is about 75 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Gloras were born before 1961.
People living today
105
~ 1 in 3,264,327 Americans
Peak year
1929
17 babies that year
Average age
75
years old
1965 SSA rank
#5,467
Tracked since 1922
Census
Glora in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 357 people with the first name Glora, which placed it at #26,204 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#26,204
National first-name rank
People counted
357
357 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
46.2% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Glora
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Glora is White at 46.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (36.1%) and Black (14.6%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Glora 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 name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Glora at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White46.2% · 165
- Hispanic or Latino36.1% · 129
- Black or African American14.6% · 52
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.4% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 3
- Two or more races0.8% · 3
Popularity
Glora: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Glora from the 1920s through to the 1960s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 83 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1920s peak, Glora remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Glora by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Glora during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Glora
The given name Glora has its roots in the ancient Celtic culture, tracing its origins back to the Brittonic languages spoken in parts of what is now modern-day Britain and France. It is believed to have derived from the Proto-Celtic word "glor," which translates to "glory" or "radiance."
The earliest recorded instances of the name Glora can be found in medieval Welsh and Breton texts, where it was often used as a feminine name to signify beauty, virtue, and honor. In these ancient writings, Glora was occasionally associated with goddesses or figures of importance, reflecting the reverence and esteem held for those bearing this name.
One of the earliest known historical figures bearing the name Glora was Glora ap Gwynedd, a 6th-century Welsh princess and daughter of the legendary King Gwynedd ap Cadwallon. Her name was recorded in the ancient Welsh genealogies, suggesting the name's usage among the Welsh nobility of that era.
In the 12th century, Glora de Montfort, a French noblewoman and the wife of Simon de Montfort, gained prominence during the Albigensian Crusade against the Cathars in southern France. Her name was documented in various chronicles and historical accounts of the time, further cementing the name's presence across medieval Europe.
During the Renaissance period, Glora Veneziano, an Italian painter and engraver active in the 16th century, achieved notable fame for her artistic contributions. Her works, including etchings and engravings, can be found in prestigious collections throughout Europe, a testament to the enduring legacy of her name and artistic prowess.
In the realm of literature, Glora Willoughby, an English poet and writer from the late 16th century, gained recognition for her poetic works that explored themes of love, nature, and the human condition. Her published collections of poetry have been preserved and studied by scholars, ensuring the name Glora's place in the annals of English literary history.
Glora Mackenzie, a Scottish military officer who served in the British Army during the 18th century, etched her name in the pages of history through her valiant service and participation in numerous military campaigns. Her bravery and leadership on the battlefield were widely celebrated, further elevating the name Glora to a symbol of courage and fortitude.
These examples, spanning various cultures and historical periods, illustrate the rich tapestry woven by the name Glora, a name that has echoed throughout the ages as a representation of beauty, honor, and accomplishment. Its enduring presence in historical records serves as a testament to the significance and influence of this ancient Celtic name.
People
Glora + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Glora as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with G
Other first names starting with G with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Glora: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Glora?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 105 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Glora going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 3,264,327 US residents.
Is Glora a common name?
We classify Glora as "Very Rare". It ranks above 65.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 314 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Glora most popular?
The single biggest year for Glora was 1929, when 17 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Glora is about 75 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Glora in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 357 people with the name Glora, or 0.12 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #26,204 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Glora in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Glora?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Glora appears almost entirely female. Of the 364 people counted with this name, 99.2% were female and only a very small share were male. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Glora?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Glora is White at 46.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (36.1%) and Black (14.6%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Glora most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Glora in the 2020 Census, accounting for 46.2% (165 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Glora in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Glora a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Glora in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Glora still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Glora in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Glora can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many people are called Glora?
You can see how many Americans are named Glora on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.