NameCensus.

UK surname

Glave

An English surname derived from the Old English word "glæf" meaning glade or clearing.

In the 1881 census there were 83 people recorded with the Glave surname, ranking it #21,808 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 160, ranked #22,694, down from #21,808 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to St Bees, St Giles-in-the-Fields and Sheffield. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Neath Port Talbot, Scarborough and Sheffield.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Glave is 167 in 2013. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 92.8%.

1881 census count

83

Ranked #21,808

Modern count

160

2016, ranked #22,694

Peak year

2013

167 bearers

Map years

4

1861 to 2016

Key insights

  • Glave had 83 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #21,808 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 160 in 2016, ranked #22,694.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 139 in 1861.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Young Families in Industrial Towns.

Glave surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Glave surname density by area, 2016 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Glave 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 76 #20,127
1861 historical 139 #16,263
1881 historical 83 #21,808
1891 historical 78 #27,035
1901 historical 77 #25,627
1911 historical 82 #24,635
1997 modern 155 #20,684
1998 modern 162 #20,673
1999 modern 157 #21,201
2000 modern 148 #21,971
2001 modern 146 #21,857
2002 modern 144 #22,501
2003 modern 153 #21,406
2004 modern 155 #21,352
2005 modern 150 #21,786
2006 modern 151 #21,818
2007 modern 155 #21,726
2008 modern 155 #21,956
2009 modern 157 #22,271
2010 modern 165 #22,026
2011 modern 161 #22,187
2012 modern 164 #21,883
2013 modern 167 #21,984
2014 modern 163 #22,547
2015 modern 156 #23,106
2016 modern 160 #22,694

Geography

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Where Glaves are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around St Bees, St Giles-in-the-Fields, Sheffield, Scarborough and Prescot. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Neath Port Talbot, Scarborough and Sheffield. 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 St Bees Cumberland
2 St Giles-in-the-Fields London (Central Districts)
3 Sheffield Yorkshire, West Riding
4 Scarborough Yorkshire, North Riding
5 Prescot Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Neath Port Talbot 011 Neath Port Talbot
2 Scarborough 011 Scarborough
3 Neath Port Talbot 018 Neath Port Talbot
4 Neath Port Talbot 019 Neath Port Talbot
5 Sheffield 013 Sheffield

Forenames

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First names often paired with Glave

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Glave

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Glave, 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

Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce

Group

Young Families in Industrial Towns

Nationally, the Glave surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Young Families in Industrial Towns, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Glave household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These neighbourhoods house predominantly young, UK-born individuals identifying with a White ethnic group with dependent children. Long-term disability and unpaid care are prevalent, and religious affiliations are uncommon. Housing is terraced or semi-detached and social rented sector housing is the norm. Unemployment is above the Supergroup average, and employment is principally in elementary occupations, as process plant and machine operatives, or in caring and leisure services. Educational attainment is low. The group is scattered throughout former industrial towns in the Midlands and the South Wales Valleys.

Wider pattern

Living in terraced or semi-detached houses, residents of these neighbourhoods typically lack high levels of education and work in elementary or routine service occupations. Unemployment is above average. Residents are predominantly born in the UK, and residents are also predominantly from ethnic minorities. Social (but not private sector) rented sector housing is common. This Supergroup is found throughout the UK’s conurbations and industrial regions but is also an integral part of smaller towns.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Glave is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. 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

Mainly located in Inner London, these neighbourhoods retain a diverse employment structure, with some concentration in associated professional and technical occupations rather than skilled trades or construction. Social renting is more common and levels of homeownership are low. Many residents identify as Black. There is a lower than average rate of marriage or civil partnership, few that are very old (85 or over) and higher than average incidence of disability.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Glave is most concentrated in decile 10 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier 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.

10
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Glave 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 Glave is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 20-25 mbit/s.

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

4
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

Meaning and origin of Glave

The surname Glave has its origins in France, with records dating back to the early 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old French word "glave," meaning a sword or lance. This suggests that the name may have originally referred to a person skilled with such weapons or possibly a soldier or knight.

One of the earliest known references to the surname appears in the 'Livre des Bourgeois de Reims' (Book of Burghers of Reims) from around 1190, which lists a 'Robert Glave' among the inhabitants of the city of Reims. This indicates that the name was already well-established in the Champagne region of northeastern France by the late 12th century.

The surname is also found in other medieval French records, such as the 'Registres d'Impôts de la Ville de Paris' (Tax Records of the City of Paris) from the 14th century, which mentions a 'Jehan Glave' as a resident of Paris. This suggests that the name had spread to other parts of France by this time.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname was Guillaume Glave, a French knight who fought in the Hundred Years' War during the late 14th century. He was known for his bravery and skill with the lance, which may have been a reference to the meaning of his surname.

In England, the surname appears to have arrived with French immigrants following the Norman Conquest of 1066. One of the earliest recorded instances is in the 'Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire' from 1166, which lists a 'Robert de Glave' as a landowner in the county.

Another notable individual was Sir John Glave, an English soldier and explorer who lived in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. He served in the English army and later led expeditions to the West Indies, becoming one of the first Englishmen to explore parts of the Caribbean.

In the United States, the surname Glave can be traced back to French Huguenot immigrants who arrived in the 17th and 18th centuries, many settling in areas such as New York and South Carolina. One of the earliest recorded individuals was Pierre Glave, a Huguenot refugee who arrived in Charleston, South Carolina, in the late 1600s.

Overall, the surname Glave has a rich history spanning several centuries and countries, with its origins rooted in medieval France and a possible connection to the world of arms and warfare.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Glave families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Glave 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 29 Glaves recorded in 1881 and an index of 3.62x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 29 3.62x
Middlesex 22 2.72x
Cumberland 8 11.48x
Lancashire 8 0.83x
Buckinghamshire 6 12.26x
Durham 6 2.49x
Cheshire 2 1.12x
Kent 1 0.36x
Monmouthshire 1 1.71x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Finchley in Middlesex leads with 9 Glaves recorded in 1881 and an index of 290.32x.

Place Total Index
Finchley 9 290.32x
Heeley 9 368.85x
Sheffield 9 35.24x
Preston Quarter 8 410.26x
Attercliffe Cum Darnall 6 80.32x
Brandon Byshottles 6 198.68x
Islington London 5 6.37x
St Giles In Fields London 5 125.94x
Crompton 4 145.99x
Newport Pagnell 3 294.12x
Wolverton 3 297.03x
Brightside Bierlow 2 12.71x
Dukinfield 2 24.21x
Fearby 2 3333.33x
Lancaster 2 34.97x
Rainford 2 192.31x
Deptford St Paul 1 4.69x
Friern Barnet 1 56.18x
Paddington London 1 3.36x
Scarborough 1 13.72x
Shoreditch London 1 2.85x
Usk 1 208.33x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 4
Sarah 3
Anne 2
Ellen 2
Jane 2
Kate 2
Margaret 2
Catherine 1
Clara 1
Edith 1
Eliza 1
Elizabeth 1
Elizabth. 1
Emily 1
Emma 1
Florence 1
Galatea 1
Maria 1
Martha 1
Maryann 1
Maud 1
Rebecca 1
Rose 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 8
George 7
Joseph 4
Harry 3
Henry 3
James 3
John 3
Charles 2
Thomas 2
Thos. 2
Benjamin 1
Blanche 1
Dare 1
Edward 1
Edwin 1
Francis 1
Frank 1
H. 1
Jonathan 1
Nolan 1
Percey 1
Rowland 1
Wallace 1

FAQ

Glave surname: questions and answers

How common was the Glave surname in 1881?

In 1881, 83 people were recorded with the Glave surname. That placed it at #21,808 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Glave surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 160 in 2016. That gives Glave a modern rank of #22,694.

What does the Glave surname mean?

An English surname derived from the Old English word "glæf" meaning glade or clearing.

What does the Glave map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Glave 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.