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Glass Family History

Glass Name Meaning

English and German: metonymic occupational name for a glazier or glass blower from Old English glæs ‘glass’ Middle High German glas. In English the name may also derive from a nickname from Old French glas clas ‘clash of arms noise tumult (of battle)’. Irish (Ulster) Welsh Cornish and Scottish: from an Anglicized form of the epithet glas ‘slate colored gray’ or any of various Gaelic surnames derived from it. German: from an altered form of the personal name Klass a shortened form of Nikolaus (see Nicholas ). This surname is also found in France (Alsace and Lorraine). Jewish (Ashkenazic): artificial name from German Glass ‘glass’ or a metonymic occupational name for a glazier or glass blower (compare 1 above). Germanized or Americanized form of Slovenian Glas ‘voice’.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


Similar surnames: Grass, Glas, Gloss, Klass, Gass, Blass, Plass, Glaus, Lass, Gast

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Where is the Glass family from?

You can see how Glass families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Glass family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Glass families were found in USA in 1880. In 1911 there were 293 Glass families living in Ontario. This was about 59% of all the recorded Glass's in Canada. Ontario had the highest population of Glass families in 1911.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Glass surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

What did your Glass ancestors do for a living?

In 1921, Farmer and Housekeeper were the top reported jobs for men and women in the Canada named Glass. 41% of Glass men worked as a Farmer and 15% of Glass women worked as a Housekeeper. Some less common occupations for Americans named Glass were Laborer and Servant. .

View Census Data for Glass | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Male Occupations In 1921

  • Farmer
    41%
  • Labourer
    11%
  • Clerk
    7%
  • Laborer
    7%

Top Female Occupations In 1921

  • Housekeeper
    15%
  • Income
    12%
  • Stenographer
    12%
  • Servant
    12%
Black & white image of two construction labourers

What Glass family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 234,000 census records available for the last name Glass. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Glass census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search Canadian census records for Glass

Passenger Lists

There are 29,000 immigration records available for the last name Glass. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in Canada, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

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Draft Cards

There are 45,000 military records available for the last name Glass. For the veterans among your Glass ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

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What is the average Glass lifespan?

Between 1941 and 2004, in the United States, Glass life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1944, and highest in 2003. The average life expectancy for Glass in 1941 was 35, and 74 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Glass

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