2000
#3,479
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,394
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.48
Uncommon Last name
Glick
A metonymic occupational surname for a metalworker, derived from the Yiddish word glik, meaning "luck" or "happiness."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 12,343 Americans carry the last name Glick. That puts it at #3,272 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.60 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 27,769 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Glick 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
12K
1 in 27,769
Census rank
#3,272
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
11K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 10,764 bearers of the surname Glick in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.60 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3272nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Glick, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.2%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Glick
The surname Glick originated in Germany, with its earliest recorded use dating back to the 14th century. It is believed to have derived from the German word "glick," which means "luck" or "good fortune." This suggests that the name may have been initially given as a nickname to someone who was perceived as fortunate or lucky.
The Glick surname was primarily concentrated in the regions of Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. It is documented in historical records from these areas, including church registers and tax rolls from the 16th and 17th centuries.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Glick name appears in a document from the town of Heilbronn, dated 1427, which mentions a certain Hans Glick. Another notable early reference is found in the Württembergisches Klosterbuch, a record of monasteries in Württemberg, which includes an entry from 1498 for a monk named Jörg Glick.
During the 18th and 19th centuries, the Glick surname began to spread beyond southern Germany as families migrated to other parts of Europe and, eventually, to the Americas. Some variations of the spelling include Glück, Glücke, and Glücklick.
Among the notable individuals bearing the Glick surname throughout history are:
1. Jacob Glick (1732-1796), a German-born American farmer and Revolutionary War soldier who fought in the Battle of Trenton.
2. Conrad Glick (1742-1816), a German-American settler and farmer in Pennsylvania, known for his extensive landholdings and contributions to the local community.
3. Michael Glick (1805-1886), a German-American entrepreneur and founder of the Glick Brewing Company in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
4. Gottlieb Glick (1872-1945), a German-American journalist and editor of the Milwaukee Herold, a prominent German-language newspaper in the late 19th century.
5. Elias Glick (1910-1988), an American mathematician and statistician who made significant contributions to the field of probability theory and stochastic processes.
The Glick surname has a rich history, rooted in the cultural and linguistic traditions of southern Germany, and its bearers have left their mark across various fields and regions over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Glick
Among Census respondents with the surname Glick, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.2%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Glick 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 Glick surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.8% · 10,200
- Hispanic or Latino2.2% · 233
- Two or more races1.9% · 201
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 71
- Black or African American0.3% · 35
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 24
Timeline
Historical Census data for Glick
Glick 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
#3,506
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,196
+802 bearers (+8.5%)
Per 100,000 3.46
Rank movement Down 27 places
2020
#3,272
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,764
+568 bearers (+5.6%)
Per 100,000 3.60
Rank movement Up 234 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,479 | 9,394 | 3.48 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,506 | 10,196 | 3.46 | +802 bearers (+8.5%) | Down 27 places |
| 2020 | #3,272 | 10,764 | 3.60 | +568 bearers (+5.6%) | Up 234 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 Glick 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 | #3,506 | #3,272 | 6.7% |
| Count | 10,196 | 10,764 | 5.6% |
| Per 100K | 3.46 | 3.60 | 4.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Glick bearers went from 10,196 to 10,764 (+5.6% change). The surname moved up 234 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,506 to #3,272.
FAQ
Glick surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Glick?
Name Census estimates that about 12,343 living Americans carry the surname Glick. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 27,769 residents.
How common is Glick?
Glick ranks #3,272 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.60 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 10,764 people with the surname Glick. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (12,343), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.6 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.60 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Glick.
Has Glick become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Glick went from 10,196 recorded bearers to 10,764. That is an increase of 568 (+5.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #3,506 to #3,272.
What does the Census say about the background of Glick?
Among Census respondents with the surname Glick, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.2%) and Two or More Races (1.9%). 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 Glick in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.8% (10,200 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Glick appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.8%), Hispanic (2.2%), Two or More Races (1.9%). 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 Glick (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 Glick mean?
A metonymic occupational surname for a metalworker, derived from the Yiddish word glik, meaning "luck" or "happiness." 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 Glick (3.60 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 surname Glick?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.