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

Glassley, 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 Glassley surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Glassley in America

Glassley is the 132206th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Glassley surname appeared 128 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Glassley.

We can also compare 2010 data for Glassley 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 Glassley

The surname Glassley has its origins in the Scottish Lowlands, where it first emerged in the 13th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old English words "glas" and "leah," meaning "green" and "meadow" respectively, suggesting that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived in or near a verdant meadow.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a historical document that lists Scottish landowners and nobles who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England. Here, the name is spelled "Glasselay," indicating the variations in spelling that were common in medieval times.

During the 16th century, several members of the Glassley family were recorded as residing in the parish of Jedburgh, located in the Scottish Borders region. Notably, a John Glassley was listed as a landowner in the village of Ancrum in 1546, while a William Glassley was a resident of the town of Hawick in 1572.

The name Glassley has also been linked to various place names throughout Scotland, such as Glasslie in Aberdeenshire and Glasslie Burn in Stirlingshire. These locations may have served as inspiration for the surname or vice versa, further highlighting the connection between the name and the land.

Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname Glassley. One such figure was Sir Robert Glassley (1627-1698), a Scottish landowner and member of the Privy Council of Scotland under King Charles II. Another was James Glassley (1714-1781), a renowned philosopher and academic who served as the principal of St. Andrews University in the mid-18th century.

In the realm of literature, the name gained prominence with the Scottish author and poet, Margaret Glassley (1801-1865), whose works often explored themes of nature and rural life in the Scottish Highlands. Additionally, the 19th century saw the rise of John Glassley (1832-1901), a successful industrialist and philanthropist who founded several charitable organizations in his hometown of Glasgow.

Lastly, the 20th century brought forth the influential figure of Sir William Glassley (1918-2002), a distinguished diplomat who served as the British Ambassador to several countries, including France and Germany, during his illustrious career in the Foreign Office.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Glassley

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

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 Glassley 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 Glassley 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 Glassley was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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