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Glass History Etymology Spelling Variations Ranking

United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Suggested Reading Sources

Glass History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Israel
Scotland

Etymology of Glass

What does the name Glass mean?

The family name of a Jew was typically left to the individual person up until the end of the 18th century. Majority, especially in Germany and eastern Europe, still followed the custom having their father’s name included in their name. Whereas, Jews in Spain, Portugal, and Italy had already adopted the practice of using fixed family names. 1

One of the most common traditions for adopting surnames in Medieval Europe was for a person to assume a name that clearly illustrated his occupation. It is probable that the surname Glass was such an occupational name. However, this name and its variants was also held by those who did were not of an occupation related to glass in anyway; they most probably held such a name ornamentally in order to fit in with the non-Jewish majority in the regions in which they lived.

Glass Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Glass, Glassman, Gluzband (glass ribbon), Glasberg, Glassberg, Gluzberg (glass hill), Glassgold (glass gold), Glassmann (glass man), Glassheib (pane of glass), Gluzschneider (glass cutter) and many more.

Glass Ranking

the United States, the name Glass is the 644^th most popular surname with an estimated 44,766 people with that name. 2

Glass migration to the United States +

Glass Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Duncan Glass who settled in Virginia in 1651 with his wife Mary
Dunkin Glass, who landed in Virginia in 1652 3
John Glass, who landed in Virginia in 1653 3
Robert Glass, who landed in Virginia in 1664 3
George Glass, who arrived in Virginia in 1665 3
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Glass Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

William Glass, who settled in New England in 1709 with his wife, two sons and two daughters
John Glass, who landed in Virginia in 1713 3
Dark Glass, who landed in Virginia in 1715 3
John Glass, who arrived in Virginia in 1716 3
Friderich Glass, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1733 3
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Glass Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

John Glass, who arrived in New York, NY in 1811 3
Isabella Glass, who landed in New York, NY in 1811 3
James Glass, who arrived in New York, NY in 1811 3
Alex Glass, who arrived in New York, NY in 1811 3
James Glass, aged 21, who landed in Maryland in 1812 3
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Glass migration to Canada +

Glass Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Samuel Glass, who arrived in Quebec in 1784

Glass Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Henry Glass, who landed in Canada in 1820
Mrs. Jane Glass, aged 46 who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "Maria Somes" departing from the port of Cork, Ireland but died on Grosse Isle on 23rd September 1847 4
Mr. John Glass, aged 18 who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "Maria Somes" departing from the port of Cork, Ireland but died on Grosse Isle on September 20th, 1847 4

Glass migration to Australia +

Glass Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. William John Glass, English convict who was convicted in Buckinghamshire, England for life, transported aboard the "Elphinstone" on 20th January 1836, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 5
Mr. John Glass, British Convict who was convicted in Edinburgh, Scotland for 7 years, transported aboard the "Asia" on 20th July 1837, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 6
Charles Glass, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Glenswilly" in 1839 7
Mr. Henry Glass, English convict who was convicted in Winchester, Hampshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Cressy" on 28th April 1843, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 8
Miss Catherine Glass, Scottish convict who was convicted in Edinburgh, Scotland for 7 years, transported aboard the "Elizabeth and Henry" on 11th February 1848, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 9
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Glass migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Glass Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. Thomas Glass, Scottish settler from Dunoon travelling from Glasgow aboard the ship "Storm Cloud" arriving in Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 27th April 1860 10
Miss Jane Glass, Scottish settler travelling from Glasgow aboard the ship "Sevilla" arriving in Bluff, Southland, South Island, New Zealand on 4th September 1864 10
Archibald Glass, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Pegasus" in 1865
Jane Glass, aged 25, a servant, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Glenlora" in 1873

Contemporary Notables of the name Glass (post 1700) +

Philip Glass (b. 1937), Academy Award-nominated American composer
William Sheppeard "Bill" Glass (1935-2021), American professional football player who was a defensive end for 11 seasons in the National Football League, inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1985
Joseph Sarsfield Glass (1874-1926), American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church
Ronald Earle "Ron" Glass (1945-2016), American actor, best known for his role as Det. Ron Harris in the television sitcom Barney Miller (1975–1982)
Seamon Glass (1925-2016), American actor and author
Bradley McConnell Glass (1931-2015), American politician, Member of the Illinois House of Representatives in 1971
Noah Glass, American software developer, co-founder of Twitter
Hermann Glass (1878-1961), American Olympic gold medalist for gymnastics at the 1904 Summer Games
Rear Admiral Henry Glass (1844-1908), American naval officer best remembered for his role in the bloodless capture of Guam in the Spanish-American War
... (Another 11 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Glass family +

HMS Hood

Mr. Leslie G V Glass (b. 1920), English Able Seaman serving for the Royal Navy from Portsmouth, Hampshire, England, who sailed into battle and died in the HMS Hood sinking 11
Mr. David Reuben Glass, British Marine, who sailed into battle on the HMS Prince of Wales (1941) and survived the sinking 12
Mr. W. E. Glass, British passenger who was Royal Air Force was travelling aboard the railway ferry "SS Caribou" when it was struck by a German submarine torpedo on 14th October 1942, the most significant sinking in Canadian waters at that time, he survived the sinking
Willie D. Glass, Canadian passenger who was killed in the Victoria steamboat disaster when the boat capsized in 1881

Sources +

Kaganoff, Benzion C. A Dictionary of Jewish names and their history. Schocken Books, 1977. Digital
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 30)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 16th March 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/elphinstone
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 7th February 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/asia/1837
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) GLENSWILLY 1839 (also called DAWSONS). Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1839Glenswilly.htm
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 21st May 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/cressy
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 15th March 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/elizabeth-and-henry
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
H.M.S. Hood Association-Battle Cruiser Hood: Crew Information - H.M.S. Hood Rolls of Honour, Men Lost in the Sinking of H.M.S. Hood, 24th May 1941. (Retrieved 2016, July 15) . Retrieved from http://www.hmshood.com/crew/memorial/roh_24may41.htm
HMS Prince of Wales Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listprincecrew.html