Glover
One who works with gloves.
Name Census estimates that about 311 living Americans carry the first name Glover. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Glover today is around 72 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Glover births was 1921 (33 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Glover. 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 Glover is about 72 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Glovers were born before 1964.
People living today
311
~ 1 in 1,102,104 Americans
Peak year
1921
33 babies that year
Average age
72
years old
2014 SSA rank
#5,432
Tracked since 1885
Gender
Gender distribution for Glover
Out of the 1,119 babies given the name Glover since 1880, 99.6% were registered as male. The name sits firmly on the male side of the spectrum, with only a handful of female registrations across the entire dataset.
Glover as a male name
- Ranked #12,705 in 2014
- 5 male births in 2014
- Peak: 1915 (30 births)
Glover as a female name
- Ranked #5,432 in 1921
- 5 female births in 1921
- Peak: 1921 (5 births)
Popularity
Glover: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Glover from the 1880s through to the 2010s, spanning 13 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 246 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1920s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Glover 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 Glover during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Glovers live
The SSA's state-level files cover 5 states and territories. Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi recorded the most babies named Glover, while North Carolina, Florida, Mississippi recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 25 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Glover
The name Glover has its origins in the Old English language and dates back to the 11th century. It is derived from the occupation of a glover, which refers to someone who made and sold gloves. The name is believed to have originated in England, where the glove-making trade was prevalent.
In the Middle Ages, guilds of glovers existed in major cities and towns across England. These guilds regulated the trade and ensured the quality of the gloves produced. The name Glover became a common surname during this period, reflecting the importance of this occupation in medieval society.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Glover can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The name appears in various spellings, such as "Glovere" and "Glovare," reflecting the evolving nature of English orthography.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Glover. One of the earliest was Robert Glover, an English officer of arms and author who lived from 1544 to 1588. He is best known for his work "The Catalogue of Honour," which chronicled the genealogies of England's nobility.
Another prominent figure was Richard Glover, an English poet and writer who lived from 1712 to 1785. He is best remembered for his poem "Leonidas," which celebrated the heroic defense of Thermopylae by the Spartan king Leonidas against the Persian forces.
In the realm of exploration, John Glover, an English colonist and explorer, played a significant role in the early settlement of Australia. He was born in 1767 and is credited with being one of the first settlers to establish a farm in the colony of New South Wales.
The name Glover also has ties to the American Civil War. John Milton Glover, born in 1829, was a Union general who commanded the Army of the Tennessee's cavalry during the war. He played a crucial role in several key battles, including the Battle of Chickamauga.
In more recent times, John Glover, an American actor born in 1944, has portrayed various iconic roles in films and television series. He is perhaps best known for his portrayal of Lionel Luthor in the Superman-themed series "Smallville."
These are just a few examples of individuals who have carried the name Glover throughout history, showcasing its enduring presence across various fields and time periods.
People
Glover + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Glover 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
Glover: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Glover?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 311 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Glover 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 1,102,104 US residents.
Is Glover a common name?
We classify Glover as "Very Rare". It ranks above 79.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,119 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Glover most popular?
The single biggest year for Glover was 1921, when 33 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Glover is about 72 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Glover a male name?
Yes, 99.6% of people registered as Glover in the SSA data are male. 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.
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.