2000
#13,463
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,074
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.77
Rare Last name
Gleaton
Derived from a place name meaning "hamlet on a valley" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,273 Americans carry the last name Gleaton. That puts it at #14,475 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.66 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 150,794 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gleaton 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
2.3K
1 in 150,794
Census rank
#14,475
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,982 bearers of the surname Gleaton in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.66 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14475th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gleaton, the largest self-reported group is White at 52.2%. The next largest groups are Black (39.9%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gleaton
The surname Gleaton is believed to have originated in England, with records dating back to the 13th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old English word "glede," which means a kite or a hawk. This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who lived near a place where these birds were commonly found or perhaps to someone who trained hawks for hunting purposes.
One of the earliest known references to the Gleaton surname can be found in the Feet of Fines records for Lincolnshire in 1202, where a person named Richard de Gledeton is mentioned. This indicates that the name was likely associated with a place called Gledeton or Gledton, which may have been a small village or hamlet in that region.
In the 14th century, the surname appeared in various spellings, including Gleatone, Gletton, and Glettone, reflecting the variations in pronunciation and spelling that were common during that era. One notable example is John Gleatone, who was listed as a resident of Nottinghamshire in the Lay Subsidy Rolls of 1327.
The Gleaton surname continued to be found in various records throughout the following centuries. For instance, in the 16th century, a man named Thomas Gleaton was recorded as a landowner in the Lincolnshire Musters of 1542. Another individual, William Gleaton, was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1577.
As the centuries progressed, the Gleaton surname spread across different regions of England. Some notable individuals bearing this name include:
1. Robert Gleaton (1590-1659), an English landowner and Member of Parliament for Boston in Lincolnshire during the 17th century.
2. Elizabeth Gleaton (1668-1741), a landowner and philanthropist from Gloucestershire, known for her support of local churches and schools.
3. John Gleaton (1720-1792), a merchant and ship owner from Bristol, who traded extensively with the American colonies.
4. William Gleaton (1765-1829), a British army officer who served in the Napoleonic Wars and was awarded the prestigious Order of the Bath.
5. Margaret Gleaton (1810-1887), a prolific author and poet from Cheshire, whose works often explored themes of nature and rural life.
While the Gleaton surname has its roots in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world, carried by individuals who emigrated from their homeland.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gleaton
Among Census respondents with the surname Gleaton, the largest self-reported group is White at 52.2%. The next largest groups are Black (39.9%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Gleaton 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 Gleaton surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White52.2% · 1,035
- Black or African American39.9% · 791
- Two or more races4.5% · 90
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 54
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 9
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.2% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gleaton
Gleaton 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
#13,727
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,205
+131 bearers (+6.3%)
Per 100,000 0.75
Rank movement Down 264 places
2020
#14,475
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,982
-223 bearers (-10.1%)
Per 100,000 0.66
Rank movement Down 748 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,463 | 2,074 | 0.77 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,727 | 2,205 | 0.75 | +131 bearers (+6.3%) | Down 264 places |
| 2020 | #14,475 | 1,982 | 0.66 | -223 bearers (-10.1%) | Down 748 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 Gleaton 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 | #13,727 | #14,475 | -5.4% |
| Count | 2,205 | 1,982 | -10.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.75 | 0.66 | -11.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gleaton bearers went from 2,205 to 1,982 (-10.1% change). The surname moved down 748 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,727 to #14,475.
FAQ
Gleaton surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gleaton?
Name Census estimates that about 2,273 living Americans carry the surname Gleaton. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 150,794 residents.
How common is Gleaton?
Gleaton ranks #14,475 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.66 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 1,982 people with the surname Gleaton. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,273), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.66 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.66 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 Gleaton.
Has Gleaton become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gleaton went from 2,205 recorded bearers to 1,982. That is a decrease of 223 (-10.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,727 to #14,475.
What does the Census say about the background of Gleaton?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gleaton, the largest self-reported group is White at 52.2%. The next largest groups are Black (39.9%) and Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Gleaton in the 2020 Census, accounting for 52.2% (1,035 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gleaton appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (52.2%), Black (39.9%), Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Gleaton (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 Gleaton mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "hamlet on a valley" in Old English. 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 Gleaton (0.66 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 Gleaton?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.