Find out how popular the last name Glasgow is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Glasgow.

Glasgow, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Glasgow surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Glasgow in America

Glasgow is the 3913th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Glasgow surname appeared 9,078 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname Glasgow.

We can also compare 2010 data for Glasgow to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Glasgow

The surname Glasgow originated in Scotland during the medieval period. It is a locational name derived from the city of Glasgow, which was originally known as Glas-cau or "Green Hollow" in the Old Welsh language. The name likely referred to the green, grassy area where the city was founded along the River Clyde.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which documented Scottish nobles who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England. The rolls included the name Johan de Glasgu, indicating the surname was in use by the late 13th century.

In the 14th century, the name appeared in various Scottish records and charters, including a mention of a John de Glasgw in 1329. The spelling of the surname varied during this period, with forms such as Glasgu, Glascou, and Glasgowe being used interchangeably.

A notable bearer of the Glasgow surname was James Glasgow (c. 1455-1528), who served as Bishop of Glasgow from 1492 until his death. He played a significant role in the construction of the iconic Glasgow Cathedral and helped establish the city as an important religious and cultural center.

In the 16th century, the surname spread beyond Scotland as bearers migrated to other parts of the British Isles and, later, to the American colonies. One prominent figure was William Glasgow (c. 1580-1662), a Scottish merchant who settled in Virginia and became a wealthy landowner and member of the House of Burgesses.

Another notable bearer of the Glasgow name was Ellen Glasgow (1873-1945), an American novelist and literary critic from Virginia. She was a pioneer of the Southern literary renaissance and won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1942 for her novel "In This Our Life."

Throughout history, the surname Glasgow has been associated with various place names in Scotland, such as Glasgow in Renfrewshire, where the city of Glasgow is located, and the former county of Lanarkshire, where the surname likely originated.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Glasgow

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Glasgow.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Glasgow was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Glasgow has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Glasgow was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Glasgow, please contact us.

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