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

Gleaves, 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 Gleaves surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Gleaves in America

Gleaves is the 23019th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Gleaves surname appeared 1,110 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 Gleaves.

We can also compare 2010 data for Gleaves 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 Gleaves

The surname Gleaves is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "glēaf," meaning a glade or clearing in a forest. The name likely originated in the medieval period as a locational surname, referring to someone who lived near a glade or clearing.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Staffordshire in 1327, where a John del Gleve was listed. The name was also recorded in various other medieval records, such as the Court Rolls of Wigan in 1381, where a Richard del Gleve was mentioned.

The name Gleaves is believed to have evolved from the earlier spellings "del Gleve" and "de la Gleve," which were derived from the Old French phrase "de la glève," meaning "of the glade." This suggests that the name may have been introduced to England by Norman settlers after the conquest of 1066.

In the 16th century, the name began to appear in its modern spelling, with records showing instances such as Thomas Gleaves in the Wills and Administrations of Chester in 1578. The surname was particularly concentrated in the counties of Lancashire and Cheshire, where many families bearing the name lived near areas known as "glades" or "greaves."

Notable individuals with the surname Gleaves throughout history include:

1. Sir Edmund Gleaves (1490-1558), an English lawyer and judge who served as a Justice of the Court of Common Pleas.
2. John Gleaves (1545-1612), an English clergyman and academic who was the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford from 1608 to 1609.
3. Albert Gleaves (1858-1937), an American naval officer who served as Commander-in-Chief of the United States Asiatic Fleet during World War I.
4. Mary Gleaves (1866-1952), an American educator and activist who founded the first African American library in Nashville, Tennessee.
5. Reginald Gleaves (1888-1971), a British sailor and Olympic gold medalist in the 8-metre class sailing event at the 1908 Summer Olympics.

While the surname Gleaves is not among the most common in the English-speaking world, it has a rich history spanning several centuries and has been borne by individuals of note in various fields, from law and academia to the military and sports.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Gleaves

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

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

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

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