NameCensus.

UK surname

Glacken

A surname derived from a place name in Ireland or an Anglicized version of an Irish Gaelic surname.

In the 1881 census there were 34 people recorded with the Glacken surname, ranking it #28,837 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 86, ranked #32,570, down from #28,837 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to No data. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Polwarth, Greenock East and Cleland.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Glacken is 104 in 2003. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 152.9%.

1881 census count

34

Ranked #28,837

Modern count

86

2016, ranked #32,570

Peak year

2003

104 bearers

Map years

1

1998 to 1998

Key insights

  • Glacken had 34 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #28,837 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 86 in 2016, ranked #32,570.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 35 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Student Living and Professional Footholds.

Glacken surname distribution map

The map shows where the Glacken surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Glacken surname density by area, 1998 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Glacken over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 23 #29,205
1861 historical 31 #30,058
1881 historical 34 #28,837
1891 historical 32 #31,754
1901 historical 35 #30,194
1911 historical 23 #30,923
1997 modern 96 #27,490
1998 modern 100 #27,619
1999 modern 101 #27,617
2000 modern 103 #27,280
2001 modern 98 #27,672
2002 modern 99 #28,082
2003 modern 104 #27,101
2004 modern 97 #28,455
2005 modern 96 #28,671
2006 modern 99 #28,453
2007 modern 103 #28,187
2008 modern 102 #28,664
2009 modern 95 #30,393
2010 modern 91 #31,497
2011 modern 89 #31,659
2012 modern 96 #30,949
2013 modern 88 #32,349
2014 modern 91 #32,219
2015 modern 88 #32,421
2016 modern 86 #32,570

Geography

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Where Glackens are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around No data. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Polwarth, Greenock East, Cleland, Birmingham and Greenock Upper Central. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 No data No data

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Polwarth City of Edinburgh
2 Greenock East Inverclyde
3 Cleland North Lanarkshire
4 Birmingham 127 Birmingham
5 Greenock Upper Central Inverclyde

Forenames

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First names often paired with Glacken

These lists show first names that appear often with the Glacken surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Glacken

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Glacken, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Multicultural and Educated Urbanites

Group

Student Living and Professional Footholds

Nationally, the Glacken surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Student Living and Professional Footholds, within Multicultural and Educated Urbanites. This does not mean every Glacken household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

The Group includes many students, some of whom reside in communal residences. Single-person households are the most prevalent and the modal age band is 25 to 44. There are few families with dependent children. A significant number of White residents were born in EU countries (although UK-born residents are more common than in the rest of the Group), and households reflect a diversity of ethnic groups. Residential turnover is exceptionally high and, communal properties aside, flats are the norm. Some properties, including those in the private rental sector, are over-crowded. Many residents are professionals and technicians educated to degree level, and the Group is particularly common near the campuses of established university towns and cities.

Wider pattern

Established populations comprising ethnic minorities together with persons born outside the UK predominate in this Supergroup. Residents present diverse personal characteristics and circumstances: while generally well-educated and practising skilled occupations, some residents live in overcrowded rental sector housing. English may not be the main language used by people in this Group. Although the typical adult resident is middle aged, single person households are common and marriage rates are low by national standards. This Supergroup predominates in Inner London, with smaller enclaves in many other densely populated metropolitan areas.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Social Rented Sector and Diverse Origins

Within London, Glacken is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector and Diverse Origins, part of Young Families and Mainstream Employment. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Scattered across London’s Inner and Outer suburbs, residents of these neighbourhoods are typically housed in the social rented sector. Although terraced and semi-detached houses predominate, more residents live in flats than elsewhere in the Supergroup. Neighbourhoods are more ethnically diverse than the Supergroup average. Those identifying as of Bangladeshi, Pakistani and some Black ethnicities are more prevalent. Europeans born in a overseas non-EU countries make up more of the lower proportion of residents identifying as White. Few residents are very old (85+). Employment in distribution, hotels and restaurants is more common than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

Wider London pattern

Many families in these neighbourhoods have young children. Housing is principally in the social rented sector, in terraced or semi-detached units. While over-all residential densities are low, overcrowding is also prevalent locally. Residents are drawn from a range of ethnic minorities, with many identifying as Black and above average numbers born in Africa. Numbers identifying as of Chinese, Indian or White ethnicity are below average. Levels of proficiency in English are below average. Levels of separation or divorce and incidence of disability are both above average. Education is typically limited to Level 1, 2, or apprenticeship qualifications. Few residents work in professional or managerial occupations but the employment structure is otherwise diverse: it includes skilled trades, caring, leisure and other service occupations, sales and customer service occupations, construction, and work as process, plant, and machine operatives.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Glacken is most concentrated in decile 2 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the less healthy end of the index.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

2
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Glacken falls in decile 1 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

1
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Glacken is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of Over 70 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

10
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - Irish

This describes the area pattern most associated with Glacken, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Glacken

The surname GLACKEN is of Irish origin and is derived from the Gaelic word "glacadán" meaning a glen or small valley. It is believed to have originated in the 16th century in County Donegal, particularly in the areas around the towns of Letterkenny and Lifford.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Fiants of the Reign of Elizabeth I, which were records of royal grants and appointments in Ireland during the late 16th century. In these records, a person named Gilladuffe Glacken is mentioned in relation to land grants in County Donegal.

In the 17th century, the GLACKEN surname is found in various parish registers and census records in the Raphoe and Inishowen regions of County Donegal. During this time, alternative spellings such as Glackin, Glackane, and Glackan were also used.

Notable individuals with the GLACKEN surname include:

1. Patrick Glacken (1699-1778), an Irish Catholic priest who served as the Bishop of Raphoe from 1744 until his death. 2. James Glacken (1812-1892), an Irish immigrant to the United States who became a prominent businessman and philanthropist in New York City. 3. Margaret Glacken (1868-1944), an Irish-American labor organizer and activist who played a key role in the garment workers' strike of 1909 in New York City. 4. Michael Glacken (1879-1957), an Irish novelist and short story writer, best known for his works depicting life in rural Donegal. 5. Eamon Glacken (1924-2008), an Irish Gaelic footballer who played for the Donegal senior team and won an All-Ireland medal in 1947.

While the GLACKEN surname is most commonly associated with County Donegal, it has also been found in historical records from other parts of Ireland, such as County Tyrone and County Fermanagh, suggesting that the name may have spread to other regions over time.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Glacken families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Glacken surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Yorkshire leads with 9 Glackens recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.82x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 9 2.82x
Renfrewshire 6 24.07x
Dunbartonshire 5 57.87x
Lancashire 4 1.05x
Northumberland 4 8.36x
Durham 3 3.14x
Kirkcudbrightshire 2 42.92x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Leeds in Yorkshire leads with 9 Glackens recorded in 1881 and an index of 50.00x.

Place Total Index
Leeds 9 50.00x
Houston Killallan 6 2500.00x
Dumbarton 4 333.33x
Newcastle On Tyne All Sts 4 139.86x
Westoe 3 55.35x
Bickerstaffe 2 800.00x
Kelton 2 526.32x
Lower Booths 1 147.06x
Old Kilpatrick 1 98.04x
Simonswood 1 2000.00x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Glacken surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Catherine 2
Sarah 2
Bridget 1
Eleanor 1
Ellen 1
Margaret 1
Margarit 1
Mary 1
Nancy 1

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Glacken surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Patrick 2
George 1
John 1
Joseph 1
Martin 1
Michael 1
Thomas 1
Wm.H. 1

Top occupations

Occupational titles are kept as recorded and later transcribed, so related jobs, spelling variants and mistakes stay separate. Scholar was the census term for a child in education. That means the other rows often tell you more about adult work in Glacken households.

FAQ

Glacken surname: questions and answers

How common was the Glacken surname in 1881?

In 1881, 34 people were recorded with the Glacken surname. That placed it at #28,837 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Glacken surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 86 in 2016. That gives Glacken a modern rank of #32,570.

What does the Glacken surname mean?

A surname derived from a place name in Ireland or an Anglicized version of an Irish Gaelic surname.

What does the Glacken map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Glacken bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.