2000
#147,095
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Gloth
Originally a habitational surname derived from an Old English place name meaning "muddy or miry place."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 116 Americans carry the last name Gloth. That puts it at #155,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,954,779 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gloth 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
116
1 in 2,954,779
Census rank
#155,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
101
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 101 bearers of the surname Gloth in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 155270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gloth, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gloth
The surname Gloth has its origins in Germany, where it first appeared in the early 12th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old German word "gloton," meaning "to shine" or "to glisten." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who had a shining or glistening appearance, perhaps due to their hair color or complexion.
One of the earliest known references to the Gloth name can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a compilation of historical documents from Saxony, dating back to the year 1182. This record mentions a certain "Henricus Gloth" who was a landowner in the region.
In the 14th century, the name Gloth appeared in several medieval manuscripts from the Rhineland area of Germany. For example, a document from the city of Cologne in 1342 mentions a "Johannes Gloth," who was a merchant and member of the local guild.
The earliest known bearer of the Gloth name was likely Konrad Gloth, a knight who lived in the late 13th century. He is mentioned in a chronicle from the town of Erfurt, where he was involved in a dispute over land rights with the local monastery.
By the 16th century, the Gloth name had spread to other parts of Germany, as well as neighboring regions such as Austria and Switzerland. One notable figure from this period was Hans Gloth, a Protestant reformer born in Augsburg in 1510. He was a close associate of Martin Luther and played a role in the spread of the Reformation in southern Germany.
Another prominent individual with the Gloth surname was Johann Gloth, a German composer and organist who lived from 1666 to 1727. He was a renowned musician in his time and served as the court organist for several German princes.
In the 19th century, the Gloth name gained some literary significance with the writer and poet Friedrich Gloth, who was born in Saxony in 1820. He is best known for his romantic poetry and his works exploring German folklore and mythology.
While the surname Gloth is relatively uncommon outside of Germany and its neighboring regions, it has had a long and notable history within those areas, with bearers of the name making contributions in various fields over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gloth
Among Census respondents with the surname Gloth, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Gloth 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 Gloth surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.1% · 89
- Two or more races5.0% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.0% · 3
- Black or African American2.0% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino2.0% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gloth
Gloth 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
#145,220
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
+11 bearers (+10.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 1,875 places
2020
#155,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
-13 bearers (-11.4%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 10,050 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #147,095 | 103 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #145,220 | 114 | 0.04 | +11 bearers (+10.7%) | Up 1,875 places |
| 2020 | #155,270 | 101 | 0.03 | -13 bearers (-11.4%) | Down 10,050 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 Gloth 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 | #145,220 | #155,270 | -6.9% |
| Count | 114 | 101 | -11.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -15.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gloth bearers went from 114 to 101 (-11.4% change). The surname moved down 10,050 positions in the national ranking, going from #145,220 to #155,270.
FAQ
Gloth surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gloth?
Name Census estimates that about 116 living Americans carry the surname Gloth. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,954,779 residents.
How common is Gloth?
Gloth ranks #155,270 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 101 people with the surname Gloth. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (116), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Gloth.
Has Gloth become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gloth went from 114 recorded bearers to 101. That is a decrease of 13 (-11.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #145,220 to #155,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Gloth?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gloth, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (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 Gloth in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.1% (89 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gloth appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.1%), Two or More Races (5.0%), Asian/Pacific Islander (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 Gloth (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 Gloth mean?
Originally a habitational surname derived from an Old English place name meaning "muddy or miry place." 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 Gloth (0.03 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 Gloth?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.