2000
#8,723
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,468
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.29
Rare Last name
Glazer
An occupational surname referring to a glass blower or glazier.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,649 Americans carry the last name Glazer. That puts it at #9,734 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.06 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 93,931 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Glazer 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 Glazer with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.6K
1 in 93,931
Census rank
#9,734
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,182 bearers of the surname Glazer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.06 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9734th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Glazer, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Glazer
The surname Glazer has its origins in Central Europe, specifically in the German and Yiddish languages. It is believed to have emerged in the 16th century and is derived from the occupational term "glazier," referring to someone who worked with glass, either as a maker or installer of windows and other glass objects.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Glazer can be traced back to the late 16th and early 17th centuries in various German regions. One notable mention is found in the records of the town of Nuremberg, where a certain Hans Glazer is recorded as a glazier in 1589.
As the name suggests, many Glazers were likely involved in the glass-making trade or worked as window installers in towns and cities across Germany and the surrounding areas. Over time, the name spread to other parts of Europe, including Poland, Russia, and the Austro-Hungarian Empire, where large Jewish communities adopted the surname.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name in the Jewish community can be found in the town of Krakow, Poland, where a Samuel Glazer is mentioned in a 1673 document. This highlights the adoption of the surname by Jewish families who often took on occupational names based on their trades or professions.
As the centuries passed, the name Glazer continued to be found in various records and documents across Europe. One notable example is the 18th-century Polish-Jewish scholar and philosopher, Judah Loeb Glazer (1730-1790), who wrote extensively on Jewish law and ethics.
In the 19th century, the name began to spread to other parts of the world as a result of immigration. One such individual was the American industrialist and philanthropist, Moses Glazer (1844-1924), who emigrated from Russia and founded a successful textile company in New York City.
Another notable figure was the British-born architect and designer, Sir Ewing Glazer (1867-1952), who was responsible for the design of several iconic buildings in London, including the Royal Opera House.
As the 20th century progressed, the name Glazer continued to be associated with various professions and fields. One prominent example is the American filmmaker and screenwriter, Nathan Glazer (1923-2019), who co-authored the influential book "Beyond the Melting Pot" and served as a professor at Harvard University.
Additionally, the name has been carried by athletes such as the former American football player and coach, Herman Glazer (1924-2018), and the Canadian hockey player, Doug Glazer (born 1961), who played in the National Hockey League for several teams.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Glazer
Among Census respondents with the surname Glazer, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Glazer 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 Glazer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.5% · 2,974
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 97
- Two or more races1.8% · 56
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 27
- Black or African American0.8% · 24
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Glazer
Glazer 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
#9,658
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,361
-107 bearers (-3.1%)
Per 100,000 1.14
Rank movement Down 935 places
2020
#9,734
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,182
-179 bearers (-5.3%)
Per 100,000 1.06
Rank movement Down 76 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,723 | 3,468 | 1.29 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,658 | 3,361 | 1.14 | -107 bearers (-3.1%) | Down 935 places |
| 2020 | #9,734 | 3,182 | 1.06 | -179 bearers (-5.3%) | Down 76 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 Glazer 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 | #9,658 | #9,734 | -0.8% |
| Count | 3,361 | 3,182 | -5.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.14 | 1.06 | -6.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Glazer bearers went from 3,361 to 3,182 (-5.3% change). The surname moved down 76 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,658 to #9,734.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Glazer
FAQ
Glazer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Glazer?
Name Census estimates that about 3,649 living Americans carry the surname Glazer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 93,931 residents.
How common is Glazer?
Glazer ranks #9,734 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.06 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,182 people with the surname Glazer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,649), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.06 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.06 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Glazer.
Has Glazer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Glazer went from 3,361 recorded bearers to 3,182. That is a decrease of 179 (-5.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,658 to #9,734.
What does the Census say about the background of Glazer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Glazer, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (1.8%). 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 Glazer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.5% (2,974 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Glazer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.5%), Hispanic (3.0%), Two or More Races (1.8%). 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 Glazer (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 Glazer mean?
An occupational surname referring to a glass blower or glazier. 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 Glazer (1.06 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 Glazer?
You can see how common the surname Glazer is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.