2000
#468
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 64,180
First available Census row
Per 100,000 23.79
Uncommon Last name
Glover
An occupational surname referring to a person who made or sold gloves.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 73,781 Americans carry the last name Glover. That puts it at #512 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 21.53 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 4,646 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Glover 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Glover with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
74K
1 in 4,646
Census rank
#512
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
21.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
64K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 64,341 bearers of the surname Glover in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 21.53 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 512th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Glover, the largest self-reported group is White at 50.7%. The next largest groups are Black (40.3%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Glover
The surname Glover is an occupational name that originated in England during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English word "glof," which means a glove. This name was given to individuals whose primary occupation was making and selling gloves.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Glover can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from the late 12th century. These rolls were administrative records maintained by the English Exchequer. The name also appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of land and property ownership commissioned by William the Conqueror.
In the 13th century, the spelling of the name varied, with forms such as "le Glovere," "Glovare," and "Glowere" appearing in various records. These variations reflect the regional dialects and scribal practices of the time. The standardized spelling of "Glover" emerged in the 14th century and has remained relatively consistent since then.
Notable historical figures with the surname Glover include Sir Thomas Glovers (c. 1595-1653), an English merchant and governor of the East India Company's settlement in Surat, India. Another prominent individual was Richard Glover (1712-1785), an English poet and writer best known for his epic poem "Leonidas."
The Glover family has strong ties to the English county of Warwickshire, where they held significant landholdings and influence. The village of Glover's Green in Warwickshire likely derived its name from this family's presence in the area. Additionally, the Glover's Pipe Roll of 1271 contains valuable information about land ownership and taxation in Warwickshire during the medieval period.
Other notable individuals with the surname Glover include:
1. John Glover (1767-1849), an English-born American painter known for his landscapes of the Hudson River Valley.
2. Crispin Glover (born 1964), an American actor and filmmaker known for his roles in films like "Back to the Future" and "Charlie's Angels."
3. Amanda Glover (born 1974), a Canadian actress and singer best known for her role as Francine Rancourt in the TV series "Heartland."
4. Danny Glover (born 1946), an American actor and political activist known for films like "Lethal Weapon" and "The Color Purple."
5. Roger Glover (born 1945), an English bassist and songwriter best known as a member of the rock band Deep Purple.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Glover
Among Census respondents with the surname Glover, the largest self-reported group is White at 50.7%. The next largest groups are Black (40.3%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Glover 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 Glover surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White50.7% · 32,629
- Black or African American40.3% · 25,935
- Two or more races4.8% · 3,066
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 2,070
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 386
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 255
Timeline
Historical Census data for Glover
Glover 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
#501
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 66,858
+2,678 bearers (+4.2%)
Per 100,000 22.67
Rank movement Down 33 places
2020
#512
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 64,341
-2,517 bearers (-3.8%)
Per 100,000 21.53
Rank movement Down 11 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #468 | 64,180 | 23.79 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #501 | 66,858 | 22.67 | +2,678 bearers (+4.2%) | Down 33 places |
| 2020 | #512 | 64,341 | 21.53 | -2,517 bearers (-3.8%) | Down 11 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 Glover 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 | #501 | #512 | -2.2% |
| Count | 66,858 | 64,341 | -3.8% |
| Per 100K | 22.67 | 21.53 | -5.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Glover bearers went from 66,858 to 64,341 (-3.8% change). The surname moved down 11 positions in the national ranking, going from #501 to #512.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Glover
FAQ
Glover surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Glover?
Name Census estimates that about 73,781 living Americans carry the surname Glover. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 4,646 residents.
How common is Glover?
Glover ranks #512 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 21.53 per 100,000 residents, which is about 22 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 64,341 people with the surname Glover. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (73,781), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 21.53 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 21.53 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 22 of them to have the surname Glover.
Has Glover become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Glover went from 66,858 recorded bearers to 64,341. That is a decrease of 2,517 (-3.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #501 to #512.
What does the Census say about the background of Glover?
Among Census respondents with the surname Glover, the largest self-reported group is White at 50.7%. The next largest groups are Black (40.3%) and Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Glover in the 2020 Census, accounting for 50.7% (32,629 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Glover appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (50.7%), Black (40.3%), Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Glover (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 Glover mean?
An occupational surname referring to a person who made or sold gloves. 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 Glover (21.53 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 last name Glover?
Find out how many people have the surname Glover on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.