2000
#19,503
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,281
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.47
Rare Last name
Glendenning
A surname referring to someone from the valley of the glen or stream.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,530 Americans carry the last name Glendenning. That puts it at #20,171 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.45 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 224,022 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Glendenning 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 Glendenning with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
1.5K
1 in 224,022
Census rank
#20,171
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,334 bearers of the surname Glendenning in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.45 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 20171st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Glendenning, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Glendenning
The surname Glendenning has its origins in Scotland, dating back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Scottish Gaelic "gleann" meaning "valley" and the Old English "denu" meaning "valley" or "valley meadow". The name likely referred to someone who lived in a particular valley or glen.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which recorded those who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England. The entry "Adam de Glendonwyne" is believed to be an early spelling variation of the name.
In the 14th century, the name Glendenning appeared in various Scottish records, such as the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland in 1370, which mentioned a "Johanne de Glendonwyn". This suggests that the name was well-established in Scotland by this time.
The name Glendenning is also associated with the historic Glendenning family, who held lands in the Scottish Borders region. One notable member was Sir John Glendenning (c. 1490-1560), who served as a Lord of Session in the Scottish judiciary.
Another prominent figure was James Glendenning (1770-1845), a Scottish philosopher and mathematician who made significant contributions to the development of symbolic logic.
In the literary realm, the name is associated with Violet Glendenning (1885-1976), a Scottish novelist and poet known for her works depicting rural life in the Scottish Borders.
The Glendenning surname has also been carried by individuals in fields such as politics, with George Glendenning (1801-1876) serving as a member of the Canadian House of Commons, and sports, with Randall Glendenning (born 1959), a former professional baseball player from the United States.
While the Glendenning surname originated in Scotland, it has since spread to various parts of the world, including England, Ireland, and North America, as Scottish immigrants and their descendants settled in these regions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Glendenning
Among Census respondents with the surname Glendenning, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Glendenning 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 Glendenning surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.3% · 1,231
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 44
- Two or more races2.9% · 39
- Black or African American0.6% · 8
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Glendenning
Glendenning 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
#20,770
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,272
-9 bearers (-0.7%)
Per 100,000 0.43
Rank movement Down 1,267 places
2020
#20,171
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,334
+62 bearers (+4.9%)
Per 100,000 0.45
Rank movement Up 599 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #19,503 | 1,281 | 0.47 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #20,770 | 1,272 | 0.43 | -9 bearers (-0.7%) | Down 1,267 places |
| 2020 | #20,171 | 1,334 | 0.45 | +62 bearers (+4.9%) | Up 599 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 Glendenning 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 | #20,770 | #20,171 | 2.9% |
| Count | 1,272 | 1,334 | 4.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.43 | 0.45 | 3.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Glendenning bearers went from 1,272 to 1,334 (+4.9% change). The surname moved up 599 positions in the national ranking, going from #20,770 to #20,171.
FAQ
Glendenning surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Glendenning?
Name Census estimates that about 1,530 living Americans carry the surname Glendenning. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 224,022 residents.
How common is Glendenning?
Glendenning ranks #20,171 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.45 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 1,334 people with the surname Glendenning. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,530), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.45 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.45 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 Glendenning.
Has Glendenning become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Glendenning went from 1,272 recorded bearers to 1,334. That is an increase of 62 (+4.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #20,770 to #20,171.
What does the Census say about the background of Glendenning?
Among Census respondents with the surname Glendenning, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Glendenning in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.3% (1,231 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Glendenning appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.3%), Hispanic (3.3%), Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Glendenning (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 Glendenning mean?
A surname referring to someone from the valley of the glen or stream. 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 Glendenning (0.45 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 common is the surname Glendenning?
Find out how many people have the surname Glendenning on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.