The Gleason surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 25,416 people carried this name — #1,395 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 11,600 people counted. That is up 2% from 25,007 in 2000.

Look up another surname

Share

What the name means

The meaning of the Gleason surname

Reduced Anglicized form of Irish Ó Glasáin (“descendant of Glasán”), a personal name which derives from a diminutive form of glas (“green, blue, grey”).

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Gleason» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

In the first U.S. census, 1790

114 families named Gleason, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 681 people lived in those households, 6 to a family on average. The table counts it together with 9 other spellings. The table lists white heads of families only, in the twelve states whose 1790 records survive; Virginia’s figures come from state lists of 1782–1785.

Families, by state

Massachusetts 65
Connecticut 20
Vermont 10
New York 9
New Hampshire 8
Maryland 1
North Carolina 1

U.S. Census Bureau, «A Century of Population Growth from the First Census of the United States to the Twelfth, 1790–1900» (Washington, 1909), table 111, p. 242 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Gleason in American newspapers,
1883–1897.

Newspaper page from Eureka Daily Sentinel carrying the name Gleason
Eureka Daily Sentinel 1883-08-21
Newspaper page from The Sun carrying the name Gleason
The Sun 1897-11-03
Newspaper page from The Scranton Tribune carrying the name Gleason
The Scranton Tribune 1896-08-29

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 256,043 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Gleason in Australian newspapers,
1840s–1980s.

1,574 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Gleason. The most, 366, date from the 1900s. New South Wales has the most articles, but weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, the name stands out most in Queensland, at 1.4 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 537
Queensland 422
Victoria 316
Tasmania 98
Western Australia 92
South Australia 69
ACT (Canberra) 26
Northern Territory 7

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Gleason.

Who carried it

People named Gleason,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Benjamin Whitney Gleason
    Benjamin Whitney Gleason 1806–1884 · politician
  • William Segar Gleason
    William Segar Gleason 1809–1893 · politician
  • Frederick Gleason
    Frederick Gleason 1816–1896 · publisher
  • Rachel Brooks Gleason
    Rachel Brooks Gleason 1820–1905 · physician
  • Jubal Converse Gleason
    Jubal Converse Gleason 1837–1890 · politician

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 155 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Gleason,
in the records of 5 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States4,838 records

4,838 records of the Gleason name in the United States
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 2,151
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 923
  • New York State death index (outside NYC), 1957–2001 477
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 459
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 418
  • U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 222
  • Irish Famine arrivals at New York, 1846–1851 165
  • Sacramento County historic burials 15
  • U.S. service members who died in the Vietnam War 4
  • U.S. service members who died in the Korean War 2
  • New York State police and firefighter memorial rolls 2
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Kenneth F. Gleason

    Born 1913 in Iowa. Enlisted 1943 at Camp Dodge Herrold; driver from Iowa County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1979, buried at Rock Island National Cemetery, Illinois.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Maggie Gleason

    Arrived at New York in 1892 aboard the Germanic from Liverpool and Queenstown, aged 19; servant. From Dublin, Ireland; bound for New York.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)
  3. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Arthur A. Gleason

    Born 1948; from Syracuse, New York. U.S. Army, medical specialist; killed in action 1967 in Tay Ninh, South Vietnam.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain)

Showing 3 of 4,838 records for Gleason in the United States.

Counts: NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · New York State, Open NY (police and firefighter memorial rolls). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain).

Canada46 records

46 records of the Gleason name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 20
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 8
  • City of Calgary cemetery records 5
  • City of Niagara Falls (Ontario) cemetery records 5
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 4
  • City of Winnipeg cemetery records 2
  • Ontario immigration records, 1865–1883 1
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 1
  1. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record John Gleason

    Killed in the Halifax Explosion of 1917; buried at Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Ed'd Gleason

    Came to Ontario in 1869 aboard the Midway, landing at Quebec, bound for St Thomas, Ontario; English.

    Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
  3. A Canadian First World War grave register card for a soldier who died of wounds in 1917
    Example: Canadian war grave register, 1917
    War record Michael Arnold Gleason

    Died in service in 1944.

    Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada.

Showing 3 of 46 records for Gleason in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · City of Niagara Falls. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Niagara Falls. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Canadian First World War circumstances-of-death register (scan by Scottgraham87 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0).

Australia25 records

25 records of the Gleason name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 11
  • Queensland State Archives indexes 6
  • NSW convict, estate and railway indexes 4
  • Tasmanian Names Index 4
  1. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record William Gleason

    Transported to New South Wales aboard the Royal Sovereign, arriving 1834; certificate of freedom 1844.

    Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Michael Gleason

    Arrived in Victoria in 1853 aboard the Fanny, aged 26; Irish.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  3. The first page of an emigration file from Gündlingen, Baden, 1883
    Example: German emigration file, 1883
    Emigration record George Gleason

    Left Hobart in 1857 aboard the Balmoral, bound for Sydney, as an able seaman.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 25 records for Gleason in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Emigration file, Gündlingen, 1883, Landesarchiv Baden-Württemberg, Staatsarchiv Freiburg B 694/1 Nr. 1389 (CC BY 4.0).

United Kingdom2 records

2 records of the Gleason name in the United Kingdom War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead
  1. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record G. J. Gleason

    North Staffordshire Regiment. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)
  2. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record P. Gleason

    Fbec Regiment. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

New Zealand1 record

1 record of the Gleason name in New Zealand Christchurch City cemetery records
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Nellie Gleason

    Died 1911, aged 32; buried at Linwood Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Gleason.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Gleason is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

See the Gleason volume
Scroll to Top