2000
#136,783
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Glentzer
A locative surname originating from a place name with "glen" meaning a valley or narrow glen.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 126 Americans carry the last name Glentzer. That puts it at #149,446 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,720,273 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Glentzer 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
126
1 in 2,720,273
Census rank
#149,446
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
110
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 110 bearers of the surname Glentzer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 149446th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Glentzer, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Glentzer
The surname Glentzer is believed to have originated in Germany, likely in the late medieval period around the 13th or 14th century. It is thought to be derived from the German word "glanz," which means "shining" or "radiant," suggesting that the name may have been given to someone who had a particularly bright or radiant appearance or personality.
According to historical records, the name was first documented in the region of Bavaria, which was then part of the Holy Roman Empire. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Johannes Glentzer, a merchant who lived in the city of Augsburg in the early 15th century.
The Glentzer surname also appears in various forms in old manuscripts and records from the region, such as Glenzer, Glänzer, and Glanzer. These variations likely arose due to regional dialects and differences in spelling conventions at the time.
In the 16th century, the name gained some prominence with the birth of Johann Glentzer (1501-1576), a German theologian and reformer who was a close associate of Martin Luther. Johann Glentzer played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation and is remembered for his contributions to the translation of the Bible into German.
Another notable figure with the Glentzer surname was Johann Georg Glentzer (1655-1703), a German composer and organist who was active in the late 17th century. He served as the court organist in Weimar and composed several works for organ and other instruments.
In the 18th century, the Glentzer name was associated with the town of Glentzen (now known as Gliniec) in the region of Silesia, which was then part of Prussia. It is possible that some bearers of the name may have derived their surname from this place name, although the exact connection is unclear.
Other notable individuals with the Glentzer surname include Friedrich Glentzer (1817-1892), a German politician and member of the Reichstag in the latter half of the 19th century, and Gottfried Glentzer (1924-2008), a German writer and artist who was active in the post-World War II period.
While the Glentzer surname is relatively uncommon, it has a rich historical lineage and has been associated with various notable figures throughout the centuries, particularly in Germany and the surrounding regions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Glentzer
Among Census respondents with the surname Glentzer, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Glentzer 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 Glentzer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.7% · 102
- Two or more races3.6% · 4
- Hispanic or Latino1.8% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Glentzer
Glentzer 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
#144,141
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
+2 bearers (+1.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 7,358 places
2020
#149,446
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
-5 bearers (-4.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 5,305 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #136,783 | 113 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #144,141 | 115 | 0.04 | +2 bearers (+1.8%) | Down 7,358 places |
| 2020 | #149,446 | 110 | 0.04 | -5 bearers (-4.3%) | Down 5,305 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 Glentzer 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 | #144,141 | #149,446 | -3.7% |
| Count | 115 | 110 | -4.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Glentzer bearers went from 115 to 110 (-4.3% change). The surname moved down 5,305 positions in the national ranking, going from #144,141 to #149,446.
FAQ
Glentzer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Glentzer?
Name Census estimates that about 126 living Americans carry the surname Glentzer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,720,273 residents.
How common is Glentzer?
Glentzer ranks #149,446 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 110 people with the surname Glentzer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (126), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Glentzer.
Has Glentzer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Glentzer went from 115 recorded bearers to 110. That is a decrease of 5 (-4.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #144,141 to #149,446.
What does the Census say about the background of Glentzer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Glentzer, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (1.8%). 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 Glentzer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.7% (102 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Glentzer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.7%), Two or More Races (3.6%), Hispanic (1.8%). 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 Glentzer (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 Glentzer mean?
A locative surname originating from a place name with "glen" meaning a valley or narrow glen. 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 Glentzer (0.04 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 have the last name Glentzer?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Glentzer, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.