2000
#32,782
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 660
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.24
Very Rare Last name
Gleave
A surname derived from an Old English word meaning "land clearing" or "forest clearing."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 818 Americans carry the last name Gleave. That puts it at #34,261 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.24 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 419,015 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gleave 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 Gleave with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
818
1 in 419,015
Census rank
#34,261
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
713
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 713 bearers of the surname Gleave in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.24 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 34261st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gleave, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gleave
The surname Gleave originated in the North West of England, primarily in the counties of Lancashire and Cheshire during the late medieval period. It is derived from the Old English words "glof" meaning a glove and "hough" meaning a ridge, likely referring to a glove-shaped ridge or hill.
One of the earliest records of the name Gleave can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is spelled as "Gloave". This suggests that the name was already established in the region during the Norman Conquest.
In the 13th century, the name appears in various forms such as "de Glove", "del Glove", and "atte Glove" in local records and charters. These variations reflect the Norman-French influence on English surnames during this period.
The first recorded instance of the name Gleave in its current spelling dates back to 1332, when a Richard de Gleave was listed in the Cheshire Chamberlain's accounts. This indicates that the name had evolved into its modern form by the 14th century.
Several place names in Lancashire and Cheshire are associated with the Gleave surname, including Gleave Hill in Woodplumpton and Gleave Wood in Winwick. These locations may have been named after early bearers of the surname or vice versa.
Notable individuals with the surname Gleave throughout history include:
1. John Gleave (c. 1599-1670), an English clergyman and puritan minister who served as the rector of Malpas in Cheshire.
2. Richard Gleave (1630-1688), an English lawyer and politician who served as the Member of Parliament for Newton in Lancashire.
3. Samuel Gleave (1735-1794), a prominent English industrialist and entrepreneur who established a successful textile business in Manchester.
4. James Gleave (1809-1889), a British architect and surveyor who designed several notable buildings in Liverpool and Manchester.
5. William Gleave (1869-1957), an English cricketer who played first-class cricket for Lancashire County Cricket Club in the late 19th century.
The Gleave surname has endured for centuries, with its origins deeply rooted in the historical landscape of North West England, where it emerged and flourished during the medieval and early modern periods.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gleave
Among Census respondents with the surname Gleave, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Gleave 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 Gleave surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.3% · 658
- Two or more races3.5% · 25
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 19
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 8
- Black or African American0.3% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gleave
Gleave 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
#32,169
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 717
+57 bearers (+8.6%)
Per 100,000 0.24
Rank movement Up 613 places
2020
#34,261
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 713
-4 bearers (-0.6%)
Per 100,000 0.24
Rank movement Down 2,092 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #32,782 | 660 | 0.24 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #32,169 | 717 | 0.24 | +57 bearers (+8.6%) | Up 613 places |
| 2020 | #34,261 | 713 | 0.24 | -4 bearers (-0.6%) | Down 2,092 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 Gleave 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 | #32,169 | #34,261 | -6.5% |
| Count | 717 | 713 | -0.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.24 | 0.24 | -0.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gleave bearers went from 717 to 713 (-0.6% change). The surname moved down 2,092 positions in the national ranking, going from #32,169 to #34,261.
FAQ
Gleave surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gleave?
Name Census estimates that about 818 living Americans carry the surname Gleave. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 419,015 residents.
How common is Gleave?
Gleave ranks #34,261 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.24 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 713 people with the surname Gleave. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (818), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.24 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.24 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 Gleave.
Has Gleave become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gleave went from 717 recorded bearers to 713. That is a decrease of 4 (-0.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #32,169 to #34,261.
What does the Census say about the background of Gleave?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gleave, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (2.7%). 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 Gleave in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.3% (658 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gleave appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.3%), Two or More Races (3.5%), Hispanic (2.7%). 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 Gleave (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 Gleave mean?
A surname derived from an Old English word meaning "land clearing" or "forest clearing." 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 Gleave (0.24 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 Gleave?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.