2000
#142,819
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Gleese
A surname derived from a German word meaning "shining" or "bright."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 119 Americans carry the last name Gleese. That puts it at #153,590 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,880,289 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gleese 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
119
1 in 2,880,289
Census rank
#153,590
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
104
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 104 bearers of the surname Gleese in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 153590th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gleese, the largest self-reported group is Black at 51.9%. The next largest groups are White (26.9%) and Hispanic (9.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gleese
The surname Gleese is of German origin and dates back to the 12th century. It is believed to have originated from the Old German word "gleis," which means "shining" or "brilliant." The name was initially found in the regions of Bavaria and Saxony in Germany.
In the early 14th century, the name Gleese appeared in several historical records, including the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae, a collection of medieval documents related to Saxony. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name was a mention of a certain Johannes Gleese, who lived in the town of Zwickau in the late 1300s.
The Gleese surname was also found in various town and village records throughout Germany during the Middle Ages. For example, in the village of Gleissenberg, located in the district of Fürstenfeldbruck in Bavaria, the name was spelled "Gleissner," which was likely a variation of the original Gleese name.
One notable historical figure who bore the surname Gleese was Hans Gleese, a German painter and engraver born in Nuremberg in 1545. He was known for his intricate woodcut illustrations and was a contemporary of the renowned artist Albrecht Dürer.
Another prominent individual with the Gleese surname was Johann Gleese, a German theologian and philosopher who lived from 1653 to 1726. He was a professor at the University of Jena and wrote several influential works on religious philosophy and ethics.
In the 18th century, the name Gleese was also found in the records of the city of Hamburg, where a merchant named Friedrich Gleese was documented as having traded goods with the Netherlands and other European countries.
Additionally, the Gleese surname appeared in several historical documents related to the German states of Hesse and Thuringia. For instance, a man named Johann Gleese was mentioned as a landowner in the village of Eichenberg, Hesse, in the early 19th century.
Throughout the centuries, the Gleese name has been associated with various occupations, including artisans, scholars, merchants, and landowners, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and contributions of those who carried this surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gleese
Among Census respondents with the surname Gleese, the largest self-reported group is Black at 51.9%. The next largest groups are White (26.9%) and Hispanic (9.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Gleese 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 Gleese surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American51.9% · 54
- White26.9% · 28
- Hispanic or Latino9.6% · 10
- Two or more races7.7% · 8
- American Indian and Alaska Native3.8% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gleese
Gleese 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
#139,228
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
+13 bearers (+12.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 3,591 places
2020
#153,590
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
-16 bearers (-13.3%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 14,362 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #142,819 | 107 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #139,228 | 120 | 0.04 | +13 bearers (+12.1%) | Up 3,591 places |
| 2020 | #153,590 | 104 | 0.03 | -16 bearers (-13.3%) | Down 14,362 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 Gleese 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 | #139,228 | #153,590 | -10.3% |
| Count | 120 | 104 | -13.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -13.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gleese bearers went from 120 to 104 (-13.3% change). The surname moved down 14,362 positions in the national ranking, going from #139,228 to #153,590.
FAQ
Gleese surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gleese?
Name Census estimates that about 119 living Americans carry the surname Gleese. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,880,289 residents.
How common is Gleese?
Gleese ranks #153,590 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 104 people with the surname Gleese. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (119), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Gleese.
Has Gleese become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gleese went from 120 recorded bearers to 104. That is a decrease of 16 (-13.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #139,228 to #153,590.
What does the Census say about the background of Gleese?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gleese, the largest self-reported group is Black at 51.9%. The next largest groups are White (26.9%) and Hispanic (9.6%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Gleese in the 2020 Census, accounting for 51.9% (54 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gleese appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (51.9%), White (26.9%), Hispanic (9.6%). 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 Gleese (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 Gleese mean?
A surname derived from a German word meaning "shining" or "bright." 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 Gleese (0.03 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 are called Gleese?
See how many people are called Gleese on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.