2000
#121,780
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 131
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Gland
Derived from the Middle English word "glende," referring to a person living near a small valley or glen.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 139 Americans carry the last name Gland. That puts it at #141,309 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,465,859 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gland surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
139
1 in 2,465,859
Census rank
#141,309
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
121
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 121 bearers of the surname Gland in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 141309th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gland, the largest self-reported group is White at 52.9%. The next largest groups are Black (40.5%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gland
The surname Gland is of Anglo-Saxon origin, first recorded in England during the late 11th century. It is derived from the Old English word "gland," which means an open or uncultivated land. This suggests that the earliest bearers of this surname may have lived near a clearing or open area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Gland can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, a survey commissioned by William the Conqueror. Here, it appears as "Glanda," referring to a landowner in the county of Gloucestershire.
By the 13th century, the surname had evolved into its modern spelling, "Gland." In 1273, a Robert de Gland was mentioned in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire, which were records of landholders and their properties.
During the 14th century, the name Gland was also associated with various place names in England, such as Glandfield and Glandford. These place names likely derived from the surname itself, indicating that the Gland family had established settlements in these areas.
One notable figure bearing the surname Gland was Sir John Gland (1492-1558), an English politician and landowner who served as a Member of Parliament for Gloucestershire during the reign of King Henry VIII.
In the 17th century, the Gland surname appeared in the records of the Massachusetts Bay Colony in America. Thomas Gland (1620-1691) was one of the earliest settlers with this surname in the New World, arriving in Boston in 1640.
Another prominent individual with the surname Gland was William Gland (1718-1789), an English botanist and naturalist who made significant contributions to the study of plant taxonomy and classification.
During the 18th century, the Gland surname also spread to other parts of the British Empire, including Canada and Australia. One notable Australian with this surname was John Gland (1789-1864), a pioneer settler and farmer in the colony of New South Wales.
Other individuals with the surname Gland include George Gland (1845-1923), an English cricketer who played for Middlesex County Cricket Club, and Mary Gland (1876-1948), a British suffragette and activist for women's rights.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gland
Among Census respondents with the surname Gland, the largest self-reported group is White at 52.9%. The next largest groups are Black (40.5%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Gland bearers 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 surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Gland surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White52.9% · 64
- Black or African American40.5% · 49
- Two or more races3.3% · 4
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gland
Gland appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#146,201
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
-18 bearers (-13.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 24,421 places
2020
#141,309
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
+8 bearers (+7.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 4,892 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #121,780 | 131 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #146,201 | 113 | 0.04 | -18 bearers (-13.7%) | Down 24,421 places |
| 2020 | #141,309 | 121 | 0.04 | +8 bearers (+7.1%) | Up 4,892 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Gland surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #146,201 | #141,309 | 3.3% |
| Count | 113 | 121 | 7.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 1.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gland bearers went from 113 to 121 (+7.1% change). The surname moved up 4,892 positions in the national ranking, going from #146,201 to #141,309.
FAQ
Gland surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gland?
Name Census estimates that about 139 living Americans carry the surname Gland. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,465,859 residents.
How common is Gland?
Gland ranks #141,309 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 121 people with the surname Gland. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (139), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Gland.
Has Gland become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gland went from 113 recorded bearers to 121. That is an increase of 8 (+7.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #146,201 to #141,309.
What does the Census say about the background of Gland?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gland, the largest self-reported group is White at 52.9%. The next largest groups are Black (40.5%) and Two or More Races (3.3%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Gland in the 2020 Census, accounting for 52.9% (64 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gland appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (52.9%), Black (40.5%), Two or More Races (3.3%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Gland (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Gland mean?
Derived from the Middle English word "glende," referring to a person living near a small valley or glen. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Gland (0.04 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many Americans have the surname Gland?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.