2000
#100,194
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 167
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.06
Very Rare Last name
Glau
A surname likely originating from a German place name such as Glau or Glauchau.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 202 Americans carry the last name Glau. That puts it at #107,521 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.06 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,696,804 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Glau 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
202
1 in 1,696,804
Census rank
#107,521
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
176
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 176 bearers of the surname Glau in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.06 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 107521st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Glau, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.5%) and Hispanic (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Glau
The surname GLAU is believed to have originated in Germany, with records dating back to the 16th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old German word "glau", which means "bright" or "shining". This suggests that the name may have been given to someone with bright or fair hair or complexion.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name GLAU can be found in the church records of the town of Schwarzenbach, located in Bavaria, Germany. In 1583, a man named Hans GLAU was listed as a resident of the town.
In the 17th century, the GLAU name appears to have spread to other parts of Germany, including the regions of Saxony and Brandenburg. A notable figure from this time was Johann GLAU (1638-1717), a Lutheran theologian and author who served as a pastor in the town of Großenhain, near Dresden.
The GLAU surname also has a connection to the city of Erfurt in Thuringia, Germany. In the 18th century, a family of GLAU merchants and traders were prominent members of the city's guild system. One of these merchants, Friedrich GLAU (1723-1794), was a successful businessperson and landowner.
As the GLAU name spread throughout Germany, it also found its way into other parts of Europe. In the late 19th century, a man named Karl GLAU (1856-1924) was a respected painter and art teacher in Vienna, Austria.
Another notable figure with the GLAU surname was Wilhelm GLAU (1887-1945), a German politician and member of the Nazi Party. He served as the Gauleiter (regional leader) of the Gau of Saxony during the Third Reich.
While the GLAU name has its roots in Germany, it has also been found in other countries over the centuries. For example, in the 19th century, there were records of GLAU families living in the United States, particularly in the state of Pennsylvania, which had a significant German immigrant population.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Glau
Among Census respondents with the surname Glau, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.5%) and Hispanic (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Glau 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 Glau surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.5% · 161
- Two or more races4.5% · 8
- Hispanic or Latino2.3% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 2
- Black or African American0.6% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Glau
Glau 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
#105,079
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 170
+3 bearers (+1.8%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Down 4,885 places
2020
#107,521
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 176
+6 bearers (+3.5%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Down 2,442 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #100,194 | 167 | 0.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #105,079 | 170 | 0.06 | +3 bearers (+1.8%) | Down 4,885 places |
| 2020 | #107,521 | 176 | 0.06 | +6 bearers (+3.5%) | Down 2,442 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 Glau 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 | #105,079 | #107,521 | -2.3% |
| Count | 170 | 176 | 3.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.06 | 0.06 | -1.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Glau bearers went from 170 to 176 (+3.5% change). The surname moved down 2,442 positions in the national ranking, going from #105,079 to #107,521.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Glau
FAQ
Glau surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Glau?
Name Census estimates that about 202 living Americans carry the surname Glau. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,696,804 residents.
How common is Glau?
Glau ranks #107,521 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.06 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 176 people with the surname Glau. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (202), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.06 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.06 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 Glau.
Has Glau become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Glau went from 170 recorded bearers to 176. That is an increase of 6 (+3.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #105,079 to #107,521.
What does the Census say about the background of Glau?
Among Census respondents with the surname Glau, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.5%) and Hispanic (2.3%). 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 Glau in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.5% (161 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Glau appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.5%), Two or More Races (4.5%), Hispanic (2.3%). 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 Glau (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 Glau mean?
A surname likely originating from a German place name such as Glau or Glauchau. 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 Glau (0.06 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 are called Glau?
If you just want to know how many people have the last name Glau, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.