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

Glenn, 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 Glenn surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Glenn in America

Glenn is the 669th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Glenn surname appeared 51,043 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 17 people would have the surname Glenn.

We can also compare 2010 data for Glenn 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 Glenn

The surname Glenn has its origins in the Scottish Gaelic language and is thought to have derived from the personal name Gille Fhionndain, meaning "servant of St. Findan". The name traces back to the 6th century when St. Findan, a Scottish missionary, traveled and preached across Ireland and Scotland.

The earliest known recorded instance of the name Glenn dates back to the 13th century, appearing in the Ancient Records of Aberdeenshire, Scotland. In these records, the name is spelled as "de Glyn" and "de Glen". The spelling variations are likely due to the anglicization of the Scottish Gaelic name.

In the 15th century, the name appeared in the historic Exchequer Rolls of Scotland, which were administrative records of the Scottish government. The name was recorded as "Glene" and "Glenne" during this time period.

One of the earliest notable individuals with the surname Glenn was Sir John de Glen, a Scottish knight who fought alongside Robert the Bruce in the Wars of Scottish Independence in the early 14th century.

Another prominent figure was Alexander Glenn, a Scottish clergyman born in 1720, who served as the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland in 1768.

In the United States, one of the earliest recorded instances of the Glenn surname can be found in the colonial records of Pennsylvania. James Glenn, a Scottish immigrant, arrived in Philadelphia in 1730 and later settled in what is now West Virginia.

John Glenn, the famous American astronaut and U.S. Senator, was born in 1921 and was the first American to orbit the Earth in 1962. He passed away in 2016 at the age of 95.

Another notable individual with the surname Glenn was Brigadier General Hugh Glenn, a highly decorated American military officer who fought in World War II and the Korean War. He was born in 1905 and passed away in 1980.

The name Glenn has also been associated with several place names throughout history, including the Scottish town of Glen and the U.S. state of Georgia's Glenn County, which was named after John Glenn, the astronaut.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Glenn

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

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

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

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