2000
#123,314
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 129
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Glesner
A surname derived from the German word "Glas" meaning "glass", referring to a glassmaker or glassworker.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 139 Americans carry the last name Glesner. That puts it at #141,309 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,465,859 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Glesner 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
139
1 in 2,465,859
Census rank
#141,309
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
121
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 121 bearers of the surname Glesner in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 141309th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Glesner, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (0.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Glesner
The surname Glesner is of German origin, originating in the Middle Ages. Its root can be traced back to the Old High German word "glisi," which means "shining" or "glittering." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who was associated with shiny or reflective objects, such as a metalworker or a jeweler.
Glesner is a variant spelling of the more common German surname Glaser, which literally translates to "glassmaker." It is believed that the name Glesner evolved from Glaser due to regional dialect variations and phonetic changes over time. The earliest recorded instances of the name Glesner date back to the 16th century in various German regions.
One notable historical figure with the surname Glesner was Johann Glesner, a German poet and writer born in 1625 in Nuremberg. He was known for his satirical works and contributions to the literary genre of the Baroque period. Another influential Glesner was Konrad Glesner, a German theologian and reformer who lived in the 15th century and played a role in the early stages of the Protestant Reformation.
In the 18th century, a family of Glesners gained prominence in the town of Bamberg, Germany. Andreas Glesner (1715-1783) was a respected merchant and landowner, while his son, Jakob Glesner (1742-1812), became a prominent local politician and served as the mayor of Bamberg for several years.
As the Glesner surname spread across German-speaking regions, it also found its way into other European countries. In the 19th century, a notable figure with the name was Theodor Glesner (1825-1891), an Austrian architect and urban planner who contributed to the design of several notable buildings in Vienna.
While the Glesner surname is more prevalent in German-speaking countries, it has also been carried by individuals in other parts of the world due to immigration and diaspora. However, the name maintains its Germanic roots and can be traced back to its origins as a descriptive surname related to the glassmaking or metalworking professions of its earliest bearers.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Glesner
Among Census respondents with the surname Glesner, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (0.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Glesner 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 Glesner surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White97.5% · 118
- Hispanic or Latino0.8% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 1
- Two or more races0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Glesner
Glesner 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
#140,157
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
-10 bearers (-7.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 16,843 places
2020
#141,309
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
+2 bearers (+1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 1,152 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #123,314 | 129 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #140,157 | 119 | 0.04 | -10 bearers (-7.8%) | Down 16,843 places |
| 2020 | #141,309 | 121 | 0.04 | +2 bearers (+1.7%) | Down 1,152 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 Glesner 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 | #140,157 | #141,309 | -0.8% |
| Count | 119 | 121 | 1.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 1.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Glesner bearers went from 119 to 121 (+1.7% change). The surname moved down 1,152 positions in the national ranking, going from #140,157 to #141,309.
FAQ
Glesner surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Glesner?
Name Census estimates that about 139 living Americans carry the surname Glesner. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,465,859 residents.
How common is Glesner?
Glesner ranks #141,309 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 121 people with the surname Glesner. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (139), 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 Glesner.
Has Glesner become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Glesner went from 119 recorded bearers to 121. That is an increase of 2 (+1.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #140,157 to #141,309.
What does the Census say about the background of Glesner?
Among Census respondents with the surname Glesner, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (0.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.8%). 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 Glesner in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.5% (118 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Glesner appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (97.5%), Hispanic (0.8%), American Indian/Alaska Native (0.8%). 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 Glesner (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 Glesner mean?
A surname derived from the German word "Glas" meaning "glass", referring to a glassmaker or glassworker. 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 Glesner (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 Americans have the surname Glesner?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.