2000
#6,680
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,662
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.73
Rare Last name
Glidden
Derived from a place name meaning "valley with a steep sided ravine" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,119 Americans carry the last name Glidden. That puts it at #7,213 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.49 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 66,957 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Glidden 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
5.1K
1 in 66,957
Census rank
#7,213
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,464 bearers of the surname Glidden in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.49 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7213th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Glidden, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Glidden
The surname Glidden is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is thought to be a variant of the surname Gliddon, which is derived from a place name in Cornwall, England. The place name Gliddon is derived from the Old English words "glidd," meaning "smooth" or "gliding," and "dun," meaning "hill" or "down."
In the Domesday Book of 1086, a record of landowners in England commissioned by William the Conqueror, there are several entries for individuals with the surname Gliddon or similar spellings. These entries suggest that the name was already established in Cornwall and surrounding areas by the late 11th century.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Glidden was John Gliddon, who was born in Cornwall in the late 13th century. Another notable early bearer of the name was William Gliddon, a landowner in Devon, England, who lived in the 14th century.
Over the centuries, the spelling of the name evolved, with variants such as Gliddon, Glidden, and Gliddon appearing in various records. Some of these variants may have been influenced by the pronunciation of the name in different regions or by scribal errors.
In the 16th century, there are records of a family with the surname Glidden residing in the village of Glidden, near Okehampton in Devon. This village likely took its name from the surname, suggesting that the Glidden family had a significant presence in the area.
One notable individual with the surname Glidden was John Glidden (1617-1690), an early settler in New England who arrived in Massachusetts in 1638. He went on to become a prominent landowner and military leader in the colony.
Another notable bearer of the name was Charles Glidden (1857-1927), an American businessman and automobile enthusiast who co-founded the Glidden Tour, one of the earliest automobile road tours in the United States.
Other notable individuals with the surname Glidden include:
1. Joseph Glidden (1813-1906), an American farmer and inventor who patented the first successful barbed wire in 1874.
2. Ralph Glidden (1857-1919), an American businessman and philanthropist who co-founded the Glidden Varnish Company.
3. Sarah Glidden (born 1979), an American cartoonist and author known for her graphic novels and memoirs.
4. Willard Glidden (1903-1996), an American chemist and inventor who developed the process for producing powdered egg products.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Glidden
Among Census respondents with the surname Glidden, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Glidden 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 Glidden surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.0% · 4,106
- Two or more races3.3% · 148
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 132
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 43
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 20
- Black or African American0.3% · 15
Timeline
Historical Census data for Glidden
Glidden 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
#7,061
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,739
+77 bearers (+1.7%)
Per 100,000 1.61
Rank movement Down 381 places
2020
#7,213
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,464
-275 bearers (-5.8%)
Per 100,000 1.49
Rank movement Down 152 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,680 | 4,662 | 1.73 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,061 | 4,739 | 1.61 | +77 bearers (+1.7%) | Down 381 places |
| 2020 | #7,213 | 4,464 | 1.49 | -275 bearers (-5.8%) | Down 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 Glidden 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 | #7,061 | #7,213 | -2.2% |
| Count | 4,739 | 4,464 | -5.8% |
| Per 100K | 1.61 | 1.49 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Glidden bearers went from 4,739 to 4,464 (-5.8% change). The surname moved down 152 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,061 to #7,213.
FAQ
Glidden surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Glidden?
Name Census estimates that about 5,119 living Americans carry the surname Glidden. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 66,957 residents.
How common is Glidden?
Glidden ranks #7,213 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.49 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,464 people with the surname Glidden. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,119), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.49 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.49 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Glidden.
Has Glidden become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Glidden went from 4,739 recorded bearers to 4,464. That is a decrease of 275 (-5.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,061 to #7,213.
What does the Census say about the background of Glidden?
Among Census respondents with the surname Glidden, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Glidden in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.0% (4,106 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Glidden appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.0%), Two or More Races (3.3%), Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Glidden (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 Glidden mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "valley with a steep sided ravine" in Old English. 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 Glidden (1.49 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 are called Glidden?
For a quick modern take, check how many people are called Glidden on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.