2000
#3,774
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,621
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.20
Uncommon Last name
Glasgow
A locational surname referring to someone from the city of Glasgow in Scotland.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 10,104 Americans carry the last name Glasgow. That puts it at #3,909 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.95 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 33,923 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Glasgow 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Glasgow with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
10K
1 in 33,923
Census rank
#3,909
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.8K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,811 bearers of the surname Glasgow in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.95 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3909th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Glasgow, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.7%. The next largest groups are Black (19.2%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Glasgow
Among Census respondents with the surname Glasgow, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.7%. The next largest groups are Black (19.2%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Glasgow 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 Glasgow surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White71.7% · 6,318
- Black or African American19.2% · 1,688
- Two or more races4.3% · 383
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 334
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 44
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 44
Timeline
Historical Census data for Glasgow
Glasgow 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
#3,913
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,078
+457 bearers (+5.3%)
Per 100,000 3.08
Rank movement Down 139 places
2020
#3,909
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,811
-267 bearers (-2.9%)
Per 100,000 2.95
Rank movement Up 4 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,774 | 8,621 | 3.20 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,913 | 9,078 | 3.08 | +457 bearers (+5.3%) | Down 139 places |
| 2020 | #3,909 | 8,811 | 2.95 | -267 bearers (-2.9%) | Up 4 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 Glasgow 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 | #3,913 | #3,909 | 0.1% |
| Count | 9,078 | 8,811 | -2.9% |
| Per 100K | 3.08 | 2.95 | -4.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Glasgow bearers went from 9,078 to 8,811 (-2.9% change). The surname moved up 4 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,913 to #3,909.
FAQ
Glasgow surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Glasgow?
Name Census estimates that about 10,104 living Americans carry the surname Glasgow. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 33,923 residents.
How common is Glasgow?
Glasgow ranks #3,909 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.95 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 8,811 people with the surname Glasgow. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (10,104), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.95 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.95 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Glasgow.
Has Glasgow become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Glasgow went from 9,078 recorded bearers to 8,811. That is a decrease of 267 (-2.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #3,913 to #3,909.
What does the Census say about the background of Glasgow?
Among Census respondents with the surname Glasgow, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.7%. The next largest groups are Black (19.2%) and Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Glasgow in the 2020 Census, accounting for 71.7% (6,318 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Glasgow appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (71.7%), Black (19.2%), Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Glasgow (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 Glasgow mean?
A locational surname referring to someone from the city of Glasgow in Scotland. 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 Glasgow (2.95 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 people share the surname Glasgow?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.