Glover
An occupational surname for a maker or seller of gloves.
The #501 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 4,618 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Glover comes from Middle English glover, meaning a glove-maker or glove seller, ultimately from Old French gantier, from gant, “glove.” The surname is a straightforward occupational name, like Smith or Baker, applied to someone who made or dealt in gloves. Some older sources also connect it with spellings such as LeGanter, reflecting the French form behind the English name.
History
The name appears in medieval records in England and was established as a hereditary surname from an occupation rather than a place-name. It remained common enough to survive into modern English-speaking populations, especially in Britain, North America, and other countries shaped by English migration. The trade itself was once important because gloves were a practical and often status-marked item of dress.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The word glover belongs to a wider family of occupational surnames for textile and leather trades, alongside names such as Skinner and Girdler.
From the historical record
“GLITHEROW. See Clitheroe. GLOVER. The occupation. LeGanter. II. R. CLYDE. GLIDE. A sort of road, or more properly sxicakiug an opening. Aber- deenshire. Jamieson. 2. Gleid, squinting. Ibid. GLYNDE. A parish in Sussex. GLYNN. A place In the parish of Gar- diuham, co. Cornwall, the abode of " an”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom