2000
#7,468
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,112
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.52
Rare Last name
Gloria
A surname of Italian and Spanish origin, derived from the Latin word for "glory" or "fame."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,376 Americans carry the last name Gloria. That puts it at #6,906 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.57 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 63,756 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gloria 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
5.4K
1 in 63,756
Census rank
#6,906
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,688 bearers of the surname Gloria in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.57 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6906th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gloria, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 71.1%. The next largest groups are White (13.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (11.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gloria
The surname Gloria originated in Italy, with its earliest recorded use dating back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Latin word "gloria," which means "glory" or "fame." The name likely originated as a nickname or descriptive surname for a person who was famous or renowned within their community.
One of the earliest known references to the Gloria surname is found in a 14th-century Florentine manuscript, which mentions a Ser Giovanni Gloria, a notary public from Florence. Additionally, there are records of a Niccolò Gloria, a merchant from Genoa, who lived in the late 15th century.
The Gloria surname was also present in other parts of Italy, such as the Veneto region, where it is believed to have originated from the place name "Glorie," a small town near Vicenza. This could suggest that some individuals with the surname Gloria may have originally hailed from this area.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals bearing the surname Gloria. One of the earliest was Jacopo Gloria, a 15th-century Italian painter and architect from Padua, who worked on various churches and buildings in the Veneto region.
In the 16th century, Pietro Gloria (1520-1584) was a renowned Italian mathematician and astronomer from Padua. He is best known for his work on calculating the positions of celestial bodies and his contributions to the development of trigonometry.
Another notable figure was Antonio Gloria (1684-1767), an Italian historian and prelate from Istria (now part of Croatia). He wrote extensively on the history of the Istrian region and served as the Bishop of Cittanova (now Novigrad, Croatia) from 1744 until his death.
In the 19th century, Andrea Gloria (1821-1905) was an Italian Catholic priest and historian from Padua. He published numerous works on the history of the Padua region and was recognized for his contributions to the study of local history and archaeology.
Finally, Enrico Gloria (1890-1967) was an Italian sculptor and painter born in Trieste. He is known for his monumental sculptures, including the "Monument to the Fallen" in Trieste and the "Monument to the Martyrs of the Italian Unification" in Gorizia.
These are just a few examples of individuals who have carried the Gloria surname throughout history, highlighting its Italian origins and the diverse areas and fields in which it has been present.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gloria
Among Census respondents with the surname Gloria, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 71.1%. The next largest groups are White (13.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (11.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Gloria 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 Gloria surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino71.1% · 3,335
- White13.5% · 635
- Asian and Pacific Islander11.1% · 519
- Black or African American2.2% · 105
- Two or more races1.4% · 66
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 28
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gloria
Gloria 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
#6,888
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,878
+766 bearers (+18.6%)
Per 100,000 1.65
Rank movement Up 580 places
2020
#6,906
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,688
-190 bearers (-3.9%)
Per 100,000 1.57
Rank movement Down 18 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,468 | 4,112 | 1.52 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,888 | 4,878 | 1.65 | +766 bearers (+18.6%) | Up 580 places |
| 2020 | #6,906 | 4,688 | 1.57 | -190 bearers (-3.9%) | Down 18 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 Gloria 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 | #6,888 | #6,906 | -0.3% |
| Count | 4,878 | 4,688 | -3.9% |
| Per 100K | 1.65 | 1.57 | -4.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gloria bearers went from 4,878 to 4,688 (-3.9% change). The surname moved down 18 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,888 to #6,906.
FAQ
Gloria surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gloria?
Name Census estimates that about 5,376 living Americans carry the surname Gloria. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 63,756 residents.
How common is Gloria?
Gloria ranks #6,906 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.57 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,688 people with the surname Gloria. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,376), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.57 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.57 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Gloria.
Has Gloria become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gloria went from 4,878 recorded bearers to 4,688. That is a decrease of 190 (-3.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,888 to #6,906.
What does the Census say about the background of Gloria?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gloria, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 71.1%. The next largest groups are White (13.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (11.1%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Gloria in the 2020 Census, accounting for 71.1% (3,335 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gloria appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (71.1%), White (13.5%), Asian/Pacific Islander (11.1%). 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 Gloria (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 Gloria mean?
A surname of Italian and Spanish origin, derived from the Latin word for "glory" or "fame." 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 Gloria (1.57 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 Gloria?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.