Glasscock
A Scottish surname probably from a place-name, likely referring to stones or rocks associated with kites, though some English local-name confusion also appears in early sources.
The #8,723 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 82,091 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The strongest early explanation links Glasscock to the Scottish name Gledstanes, later written in forms such as Glascocks/Glasscock, and understood as stones or rocks frequented by kites ('gledes'). Another line of older surname scholarship also treats Glasscock as a local-name surname, with possible confusion between similar place-name endings such as -cote, -cott, and -cock. Because the historical forms are mixed and some sources are uncertain, the exact derivation should be treated cautiously.
History
Bardsley describes it as a Scotch surname and notes that the final -s was dropped in relatively modern times. Lower also records English-family usage, including the Glascocks of High Estre in Essex, and connects related forms to local places such as Glascote in Warwickshire. The surname therefore appears in both Scottish and English records, with later spelling variation and some likely overlap with other similar-looking local surnames.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Lower notes that the Glascocks of High Estre, Essex, claimed a pedigree reaching back to the reign of Edward III.
From the historical record
“GLASSCOCK cal, « of the GledsUnes.' A Scotch surname. The final s was dropped in quite modem times. Probably the stones or rocks frequented by the gledes, or kites ; v. Glede. William de GledsUnys. ca York. W. i. Johannn Gledstanis ae Wynitonhaw, 1497 : TTT. p. xvi.”
— A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames (alternate scan)