2000
#26,538
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 864
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.32
Rare Last name
Glanville
A locational surname originating from a residence near a ravine or glen.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,424 Americans carry the last name Glanville. That puts it at #21,445 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.42 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 240,698 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Glanville 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 Glanville with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
1.4K
1 in 240,698
Census rank
#21,445
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,242 bearers of the surname Glanville in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.42 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 21445th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Glanville, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.5%. The next largest groups are Black (16.1%) and Two or More Races (5.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Glanville
The surname Glanville is of Anglo-Norman origin, derived from the Old French place name Glanville, located in Normandy, France. It is believed that the name was first introduced to England after the Norman Conquest of 1066.
The name Glanville is composed of two elements: "glan" meaning "valley" or "glen," and "ville" meaning "town" or "village." It likely referred to someone who hailed from the town of Glanville in Normandy. Variations of the spelling included Glanvile, Glanvill, and Glanvyll.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which documented the landholdings in England after the Norman Conquest. The name appears as "Glanvile" in reference to individuals holding lands in various counties.
A notable bearer of the surname was Ranulf de Glanville (c. 1120-1190), an English jurist and statesman who served as Chief Justiciar of England under King Henry II. He is credited with making significant contributions to the development of English common law.
Another prominent figure was Gilbert de Glanville (d. 1214), who was the Bishop of Rochester from 1185 until his death. He played a crucial role in the negotiations leading to the issuance of the Magna Carta in 1215.
In the 13th century, a branch of the Glanville family settled in the county of Suffolk, where they held lands and became influential landowners. Sir John Glanville (c. 1268-1334) was a notable member of this branch and served as a knight and courtier during the reigns of Edward I and Edward II.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Glanville name was also found in the counties of Devon and Cornwall in southwestern England. One notable bearer was John Glanville (1542-1600), a lawyer and antiquarian from Devon who authored several works on English law and history.
Another notable figure was Joseph Glanville (1636-1680), an English writer and philosopher who was a prominent advocate of the scientific revolution and a supporter of the Royal Society. He is best known for his work "Scepsis Scientifica," which argued for the use of empirical methods in scientific inquiry.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Glanville
Among Census respondents with the surname Glanville, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.5%. The next largest groups are Black (16.1%) and Two or More Races (5.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Glanville 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 Glanville surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White74.5% · 925
- Black or African American16.1% · 200
- Two or more races5.5% · 68
- Hispanic or Latino2.4% · 30
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 15
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Glanville
Glanville 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
#28,883
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 823
-41 bearers (-4.7%)
Per 100,000 0.28
Rank movement Down 2,345 places
2020
#21,445
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,242
+419 bearers (+50.9%)
Per 100,000 0.42
Rank movement Up 7,438 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #26,538 | 864 | 0.32 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #28,883 | 823 | 0.28 | -41 bearers (-4.7%) | Down 2,345 places |
| 2020 | #21,445 | 1,242 | 0.42 | +419 bearers (+50.9%) | Up 7,438 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 Glanville 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 | #28,883 | #21,445 | 25.8% |
| Count | 823 | 1,242 | 50.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.28 | 0.42 | 48.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Glanville bearers went from 823 to 1,242 (+50.9% change). The surname moved up 7,438 positions in the national ranking, going from #28,883 to #21,445.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Glanville
FAQ
Glanville surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Glanville?
Name Census estimates that about 1,424 living Americans carry the surname Glanville. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 240,698 residents.
How common is Glanville?
Glanville ranks #21,445 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.42 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 1,242 people with the surname Glanville. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,424), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.42 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.42 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 Glanville.
Has Glanville become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Glanville went from 823 recorded bearers to 1,242. That is an increase of 419 (+50.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #28,883 to #21,445.
What does the Census say about the background of Glanville?
Among Census respondents with the surname Glanville, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.5%. The next largest groups are Black (16.1%) and Two or More Races (5.5%). 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 Glanville in the 2020 Census, accounting for 74.5% (925 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Glanville appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (74.5%), Black (16.1%), Two or More Races (5.5%). 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 Glanville (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 Glanville mean?
A locational surname originating from a residence near a ravine or glen. 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 Glanville (0.42 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 share the surname Glanville?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.