2010
#151,532
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Polglaze
A locational surname referring to someone from Polglaze, a place in Cornwall, England.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 123 Americans carry the last name Polglaze. That puts it at #151,639 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,786,621 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Polglaze 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
123
1 in 2,786,621
Census rank
#151,639
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
107
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 107 bearers of the surname Polglaze in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 151639th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Polglaze, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (11.2%) and Black (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Polglaze
The surname Polglaze is of Cornish origin, and it can be traced back to the early medieval period in the county of Cornwall, England. The name is derived from the Cornish phrase "pol glas," which translates to "green pool" or "green pit," likely referring to a geographical feature or location where the name originated.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Polglaze can be found in various historical documents from the 13th and 14th centuries. One notable example is the "Assize Rolls of Cornwall" from 1284, where the name is recorded as "Polglas." This variation in spelling was common during that era, as surnames were often subject to regional dialects and the whims of scribes.
In the 16th century, the Polglaze surname appeared in the "Muster Rolls of Cornwall" from 1543, which documented the names of men eligible for military service. This record provides evidence of the surname's continued presence in the region during that time period.
One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Polglaze was John Polglaze, who was born in 1589 in the village of St. Ervan, Cornwall. John's son, William Polglaze, born in 1618, was a prominent figure in the local community and served as a churchwarden in St. Ervan.
Another notable figure was Richard Polglaze, born in 1725 in the parish of St. Mewan, Cornwall. Richard was a successful businessman and landowner, and his descendants continued to reside in the area for several generations.
In the 19th century, the Polglaze surname gained recognition beyond Cornwall with the achievements of Richard Lander Polglaze (1801-1869), a renowned Cornish explorer and explorer who led expeditions in West Africa and the Niger River region. His brother, John Polglaze (1812-1891), was also an explorer and participated in several expeditions with Richard.
Other individuals of note include Henry Polglaze (1828-1908), a Cornish mining engineer who worked in various parts of the world, and John Polglaze (1854-1932), a prominent Cornish Methodist minister and author.
While the Polglaze surname has its roots in Cornwall, it has since spread to other parts of the United Kingdom and beyond, thanks to migration and the diaspora of Cornish families over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Polglaze
Among Census respondents with the surname Polglaze, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (11.2%) and Black (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Polglaze 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 Polglaze surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.0% · 91
- Two or more races11.2% · 12
- Black or African American1.9% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.9% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Polglaze
Polglaze appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#151,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
-1 bearers (-0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 107 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #151,532 | 108 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #151,639 | 107 | 0.04 | -1 bearers (-0.9%) | Down 107 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 Polglaze 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 | #151,532 | #151,639 | -0.1% |
| Count | 108 | 107 | -0.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -10.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Polglaze bearers went from 108 to 107 (-0.9% change). The surname moved down 107 positions in the national ranking, going from #151,532 to #151,639.
FAQ
Polglaze surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Polglaze?
Name Census estimates that about 123 living Americans carry the surname Polglaze. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,786,621 residents.
How common is Polglaze?
Polglaze ranks #151,639 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 107 people with the surname Polglaze. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (123), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Polglaze.
Has Polglaze become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Polglaze went from 108 recorded bearers to 107. That is a decrease of 1 (-0.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #151,532 to #151,639.
What does the Census say about the background of Polglaze?
Among Census respondents with the surname Polglaze, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (11.2%) and Black (1.9%). 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 Polglaze in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.0% (91 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Polglaze appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.0%), Two or More Races (11.2%), Black (1.9%). 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 Polglaze (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 Polglaze mean?
A locational surname referring to someone from Polglaze, a place in Cornwall, England. 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 Polglaze (0.04 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 share the surname Polglaze?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.