2000
#54,522
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 354
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.13
Very Rare Last name
Glatzer
A surname derived from the German word "glatt" meaning "smooth" or "bald."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 458 Americans carry the last name Glatzer. That puts it at #55,517 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.13 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 748,372 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Glatzer 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
458
1 in 748,372
Census rank
#55,517
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
399
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 399 bearers of the surname Glatzer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.13 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 55517th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Glatzer, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.5%) and Two or More Races (1.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Glatzer
The surname GLATZER is of German origin, originating in the 14th century from the region of Silesia, which is now part of modern-day Poland and the Czech Republic. The name is derived from the German word "Glatz," referring to the town and region of Glatz, located in the Sudetes mountain range. This name likely originated as a toponymic surname, indicating that the earliest bearers of the name hailed from or lived near the town of Glatz.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the GLATZER surname can be found in the Silesian Landtable, a medieval cadastral register, dating back to the late 14th century. The Landtable lists several individuals with the surname GLATZER, indicating that the name was already well-established in the region at that time.
In the 16th century, the GLATZER surname appears in various historical records, including parish registers and tax rolls. One notable figure from this period was Hans GLATZER, a merchant and landowner who lived in the town of Glatz from 1532 to 1598.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the GLATZER name spread beyond the borders of Silesia as members of the family migrated to other parts of Germany and neighboring countries. One prominent individual from this era was Johann Friedrich GLATZER (1689-1756), a Lutheran theologian and philosopher who taught at the University of Leipzig.
In the 19th century, the GLATZER surname gained further prominence with individuals such as Carl GLATZER (1812-1892), a German politician and member of the Reichstag, and Hermann GLATZER (1878-1941), a German-Jewish writer and literary critic.
Another notable figure bearing the GLATZER name was Nahum Norbert GLATZER (1903-1990), a Jewish scholar and author who specialized in Jewish philosophy and mysticism. Born in Germany, he emigrated to the United States in the 1930s and taught at prestigious institutions such as Brandeis University and Boston University.
While the GLATZER surname has its roots in the Silesian town of Glatz, it has since spread to various parts of the world, with bearers of the name contributing to various fields, including academia, politics, and literature.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Glatzer
Among Census respondents with the surname Glatzer, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.5%) and Two or More Races (1.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Glatzer 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 Glatzer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.7% · 382
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 10
- Two or more races1.3% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Glatzer
Glatzer 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
#55,741
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 368
+14 bearers (+4.0%)
Per 100,000 0.12
Rank movement Down 1,219 places
2020
#55,517
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 399
+31 bearers (+8.4%)
Per 100,000 0.13
Rank movement Up 224 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #54,522 | 354 | 0.13 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #55,741 | 368 | 0.12 | +14 bearers (+4.0%) | Down 1,219 places |
| 2020 | #55,517 | 399 | 0.13 | +31 bearers (+8.4%) | Up 224 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 Glatzer 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 | #55,741 | #55,517 | 0.4% |
| Count | 368 | 399 | 8.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.12 | 0.13 | 11.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Glatzer bearers went from 368 to 399 (+8.4% change). The surname moved up 224 positions in the national ranking, going from #55,741 to #55,517.
FAQ
Glatzer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Glatzer?
Name Census estimates that about 458 living Americans carry the surname Glatzer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 748,372 residents.
How common is Glatzer?
Glatzer ranks #55,517 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.13 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 399 people with the surname Glatzer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (458), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.13 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.13 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 Glatzer.
Has Glatzer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Glatzer went from 368 recorded bearers to 399. That is an increase of 31 (+8.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #55,741 to #55,517.
What does the Census say about the background of Glatzer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Glatzer, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.5%) and Two or More Races (1.3%). 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 Glatzer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.7% (382 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Glatzer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.7%), Hispanic (2.5%), Two or More Races (1.3%). 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 Glatzer (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 Glatzer mean?
A surname derived from the German word "glatt" meaning "smooth" or "bald." 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 Glatzer (0.13 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 have the last name Glatzer?
Find out how many people have the surname Glatzer on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.