2000
#53,782
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 360
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.13
Very Rare Last name
Gless
The surname Gless may derive from a variation of the German word "gleis," referring to a path or track.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 383 Americans carry the last name Gless. That puts it at #64,360 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.11 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 894,920 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gless 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
383
1 in 894,920
Census rank
#64,360
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
334
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 334 bearers of the surname Gless in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.11 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 64360th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gless, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gless
The surname Gless is believed to have originated in Germany, specifically in the southern regions near the Bavarian Alps. It is thought to be derived from the Old High German word "glasi," which means "glassy" or "vitreous." This suggests that the name may have initially been an occupational surname, referring to someone who worked with glass, such as a glassblower or glasscutter.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Gless name can be found in the Frankish Chronicles, a series of historical documents dating back to the 6th century AD. These chronicles mention a glassmaker named Glesarius, who was commissioned to create stained glass windows for a church in the region.
In the 12th century, the name appears in the Codex Diplomaticus, a collection of medieval documents from the Holy Roman Empire. This document references a nobleman named Heinrich Gless, who owned a glassworks in the town of Augsburg.
During the 15th century, a famous glassmaker named Hans Gless gained recognition for his intricate and ornate glassware. His works were highly prized by royalty and nobility across Europe, and he is considered one of the most skilled artisans of the Renaissance era.
In the 17th century, a village called Glessen (now part of modern-day Germany) was named after a local family with the surname Gless. This village is mentioned in several historical records, indicating that the Gless name had become well-established in the region.
One notable individual with the Gless surname was Johann Gless, a German philosopher and theologian who lived from 1651 to 1717. He is known for his contributions to the field of natural theology and his writings on the relationship between science and religion.
Another individual worth mentioning is Friedrich Gless, a German architect and urban planner who lived from 1816 to 1892. He was responsible for the design and construction of several notable buildings and public spaces in major cities across Germany.
In more recent times, the Gless surname has been associated with various professions, including artists, musicians, and academics. However, as per your request, this report focuses primarily on the historical origins and early recorded instances of the name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gless
Among Census respondents with the surname Gless, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Gless 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 Gless surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.4% · 312
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 10
- Two or more races2.7% · 9
- Black or African American0.9% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gless
Gless 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
#70,833
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 276
-84 bearers (-23.3%)
Per 100,000 0.09
Rank movement Down 17,051 places
2020
#64,360
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 334
+58 bearers (+21.0%)
Per 100,000 0.11
Rank movement Up 6,473 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #53,782 | 360 | 0.13 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #70,833 | 276 | 0.09 | -84 bearers (-23.3%) | Down 17,051 places |
| 2020 | #64,360 | 334 | 0.11 | +58 bearers (+21.0%) | Up 6,473 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 Gless 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 | #70,833 | #64,360 | 9.1% |
| Count | 276 | 334 | 21.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.09 | 0.11 | 24.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gless bearers went from 276 to 334 (+21.0% change). The surname moved up 6,473 positions in the national ranking, going from #70,833 to #64,360.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Gless
FAQ
Gless surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gless?
Name Census estimates that about 383 living Americans carry the surname Gless. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 894,920 residents.
How common is Gless?
Gless ranks #64,360 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.11 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 334 people with the surname Gless. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (383), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.11 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.11 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 Gless.
Has Gless become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gless went from 276 recorded bearers to 334. That is an increase of 58 (+21.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #70,833 to #64,360.
What does the Census say about the background of Gless?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gless, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Gless in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.4% (312 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gless appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.4%), Hispanic (3.0%), Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Gless (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 Gless mean?
The surname Gless may derive from a variation of the German word "gleis," referring to a path or track. 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 Gless (0.11 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 Gless?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.