Gledhill last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Gledhill

A locational surname derived from a clearing on a hill.

Gledhill, 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 Gledhill surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Gledhill in America

Gledhill is the 19654th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Gledhill surname appeared 1,371 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 Gledhill.

We can also compare 2010 data for Gledhill 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 19654 18775 4.57%
Count 1,371 1,350 1.54%
Proportion per 100k 0.46 0.50 -8.33%

The history of the last name Gledhill

The surname Gledhill is of English origin and dates back to the medieval period, with roots tracing back to the 11th century. It is derived from the Old English words "gled," meaning a kite or buzzard, and "hyll," meaning a hill or slope. This suggests that the name may have originated from a location where these birds of prey were commonly found.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Gledhill appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, the historic manuscript that documented the great survey of landowners and property across England and parts of Wales. While the exact entry is not clear, it is believed to have referenced a place name or landholding associated with the name.

In the 13th century, the name Gledhill was found in various records and documents from the county of Yorkshire, particularly in the West Riding region. It is likely that the name originated in this area, where the topography and landscape would have been conducive to the name's meaning.

During the 14th and 15th centuries, the spelling of the name began to stabilize, with variants such as Gledhill, Gledhill, and Gleadhill appearing in various records. One notable bearer of the name was John Gledhill, a landowner and farmer who lived in the village of Bingley, West Yorkshire, in the late 15th century.

In the 16th century, the Gledhill family established a presence in the town of Halifax, West Yorkshire. Richard Gledhill (c. 1520-1585) was a prominent merchant and landowner in the area, and his descendants continued to play a significant role in the local community for generations.

Over the centuries, several notable individuals have borne the surname Gledhill. These include:

  1. James Gledhill (1783-1855), an English architect who designed several notable buildings in Yorkshire.
  2. John Gledhill (1829-1894), a Yorkshire-born businessman and philanthropist who established the Gledhill Foundry in Halifax.
  3. William Gledhill (1858-1932), an English cricketer who played for Yorkshire County Cricket Club in the late 19th century.
  4. Nellie Gledhill (1886-1961), an English actress and singer who performed in various music halls and theaters in the early 20th century.
  5. Brian Gledhill (born 1944), a British author and historian who has written extensively on the history of Yorkshire and its industrial heritage.

While the Gledhill surname has its origins in the northern counties of England, particularly Yorkshire, it has since spread to other parts of the country and beyond, with bearers of the name found in various regions and countries around the world.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Gledhill

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

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 Gledhill was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 96.43% 1,322
Non-Hispanic Black Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 0.58% 8
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 0.51% 7
Hispanic Origin 1.90% 26

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 Gledhill has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 96.43% 97.33% -0.93%
Black (S)% (S)% (S)%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.58% (S)% (S)%
American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% 0.37% (S)%
Two or More Races 0.51% 0.89% -54.29%
Hispanic 1.90% 1.19% 45.95%

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

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

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"Gledhill last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on December 22, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/gledhill-surname-popularity/.

"Gledhill last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/gledhill-surname-popularity/. Accessed 22 December, 2024

Gledhill last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/gledhill-surname-popularity/.

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