2000
#11,070
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,635
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.98
Rare Last name
Glen
A Scottish topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a narrow valley.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,732 Americans carry the last name Glen. That puts it at #12,441 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.80 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 125,459 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Glen 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 Glen with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.7K
1 in 125,459
Census rank
#12,441
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,382 bearers of the surname Glen in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.80 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12441st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Glen, the largest self-reported group is White at 65.7%. The next largest groups are Black (22.3%) and Hispanic (6.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Glen
The surname Glen is of Scottish origin, deriving from the Gaelic word "gleann," which means a valley or dale. It is a locational surname, which suggests that the name originated from someone who resided in or near a glen or valley.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Glen can be traced back to the 13th century in the Scottish Highlands. In the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a record of Scottish landowners who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England, the name "Symon del Glen" appears, indicating the presence of the surname in medieval Scotland.
The Glen surname is closely associated with the Scottish clan system, particularly the Clan Buchanan, whose traditional lands were located in the Glen of Buchanan, near Loch Lomond. Several notable figures from the Clan Buchanan bore the Glen surname, including Sir Walter Glen, a prominent 16th-century landowner and chieftain.
In the 17th century, the Glen surname spread beyond Scotland as Scottish emigrants settled in various parts of the British Isles and later in North America. One notable figure from this period was John Glen (1633-1690), a Scottish minister and writer who served as the chaplain to King Charles II.
Throughout history, there have been several individuals with the Glen surname who have achieved recognition in various fields. These include:
1. John Glen (1833-1923), a Scottish-American businessman and politician who served as the 16th Governor of South Carolina from 1893 to 1897.
2. John Glenn (1921-2016), an American aviator, astronaut, and politician who was the first American to orbit the Earth in 1962 and later served as a United States Senator from Ohio.
3. Iain Glen (born 1961), a Scottish actor known for his roles in films such as "Resident Evil: Apocalypse" and the television series "Game of Thrones."
4. Archie Glen (1904-1966), a Scottish professional golfer who won the British Open in 1939.
5. Lorraine Glen (born 1976), a Scottish former professional tennis player who won two Grand Slam doubles titles.
The Glen surname has also been associated with various place names throughout Scotland, such as Glenfinnan, Gleneagles, and Glen Coe, reflecting the historical connection between the name and the Scottish landscape.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Glen
Among Census respondents with the surname Glen, the largest self-reported group is White at 65.7%. The next largest groups are Black (22.3%) and Hispanic (6.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Glen 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 Glen surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White65.7% · 1,565
- Black or African American22.3% · 530
- Hispanic or Latino6.7% · 159
- Two or more races3.0% · 71
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.0% · 48
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Glen
Glen 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
#11,302
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,794
+159 bearers (+6.0%)
Per 100,000 0.95
Rank movement Down 232 places
2020
#12,441
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,382
-412 bearers (-14.7%)
Per 100,000 0.80
Rank movement Down 1,139 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,070 | 2,635 | 0.98 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,302 | 2,794 | 0.95 | +159 bearers (+6.0%) | Down 232 places |
| 2020 | #12,441 | 2,382 | 0.80 | -412 bearers (-14.7%) | Down 1,139 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 Glen 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 | #11,302 | #12,441 | -10.1% |
| Count | 2,794 | 2,382 | -14.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.95 | 0.80 | -16.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Glen bearers went from 2,794 to 2,382 (-14.7% change). The surname moved down 1,139 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,302 to #12,441.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Glen
FAQ
Glen surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Glen?
Name Census estimates that about 2,732 living Americans carry the surname Glen. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 125,459 residents.
How common is Glen?
Glen ranks #12,441 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.80 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 2,382 people with the surname Glen. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,732), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.8 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.80 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 Glen.
Has Glen become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Glen went from 2,794 recorded bearers to 2,382. That is a decrease of 412 (-14.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,302 to #12,441.
What does the Census say about the background of Glen?
Among Census respondents with the surname Glen, the largest self-reported group is White at 65.7%. The next largest groups are Black (22.3%) and Hispanic (6.7%). 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 Glen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 65.7% (1,565 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Glen appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (65.7%), Black (22.3%), Hispanic (6.7%). 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 Glen (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 Glen mean?
A Scottish topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a narrow valley. 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 Glen (0.80 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 Americans have the surname Glen?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.