2000
#8,366
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,634
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.35
Rare Last name
Gluck
A Jewish ornamental surname derived from the German word for "luck" or "fortune."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,883 Americans carry the last name Gluck. That puts it at #7,529 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.42 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 70,193 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gluck 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 Gluck with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.9K
1 in 70,193
Census rank
#7,529
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,258 bearers of the surname Gluck in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.42 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7529th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gluck, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (1.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gluck
The surname Gluck originated in Germany and is derived from the German word "Glück," which means "luck" or "fortune." This surname likely originated as a nickname for someone who was considered fortunate or lucky.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Gluck can be traced back to the 13th century in various regions of Germany, including Bavaria, Saxony, and Silesia. The name was often spelled differently in historical records, such as Gluk, Glukk, or Glueck.
One of the earliest known references to the surname Gluck can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of documents from the Saxon region of Germany, dating back to the late 13th century. The name was also mentioned in various church records and tax registers from the 14th and 15th centuries in various German cities and towns.
One notable individual with the surname Gluck was Christoph Willibald Gluck (1714-1787), a renowned German composer who was a pioneer of the opera reform movement. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential composers of the Classical era and is known for his operatic works, including "Orfeo ed Euridice" and "Iphigénie en Tauride."
Another prominent figure with the surname Gluck was Gustav Gluck (1871-1934), an Austrian-born American architect who was instrumental in the development of the Art Deco architectural style. He designed several iconic buildings in New York City, including the Chanin Building and the Eldorado Apartments.
In the literary world, Alma Gluck (1884-1938) was a Romanian-born American operatic soprano and one of the first classical musicians to achieve widespread popularity through her recordings and radio performances.
The surname Gluck was also associated with the German-Jewish family of bankers and financiers, the Glücks, who were prominent in the 17th and 18th centuries. One member of this family, Moses Gluck, was a court Jew and banker to the Prince-Bishop of Bamberg in the late 17th century.
Finally, Jacques Gluck (1876-1942) was a French artist and painter known for his Impressionist and Post-Impressionist works, including landscapes and portraits.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gluck
Among Census respondents with the surname Gluck, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (1.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Gluck 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 Gluck surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.5% · 4,023
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 127
- Two or more races1.5% · 65
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 26
- Black or African American0.3% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gluck
Gluck 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
#7,778
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,267
+633 bearers (+17.4%)
Per 100,000 1.45
Rank movement Up 588 places
2020
#7,529
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,258
-9 bearers (-0.2%)
Per 100,000 1.42
Rank movement Up 249 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,366 | 3,634 | 1.35 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,778 | 4,267 | 1.45 | +633 bearers (+17.4%) | Up 588 places |
| 2020 | #7,529 | 4,258 | 1.42 | -9 bearers (-0.2%) | Up 249 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 Gluck 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 | #7,778 | #7,529 | 3.2% |
| Count | 4,267 | 4,258 | -0.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.45 | 1.42 | -1.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gluck bearers went from 4,267 to 4,258 (-0.2% change). The surname moved up 249 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,778 to #7,529.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Gluck
FAQ
Gluck surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gluck?
Name Census estimates that about 4,883 living Americans carry the surname Gluck. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 70,193 residents.
How common is Gluck?
Gluck ranks #7,529 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.42 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 4,258 people with the surname Gluck. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,883), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.42 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.42 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 Gluck.
Has Gluck become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gluck went from 4,267 recorded bearers to 4,258. That is a decrease of 9 (-0.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #7,778 to #7,529.
What does the Census say about the background of Gluck?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gluck, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (1.5%). 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 Gluck in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.5% (4,023 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gluck appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.5%), Hispanic (3.0%), Two or More Races (1.5%). 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 Gluck (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 Gluck mean?
A Jewish ornamental surname derived from the German word for "luck" or "fortune." 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 Gluck (1.42 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 Gluck?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.