Show ContentsGlassman History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Etymology of Glassman

What does the name Glassman mean?

The family name of a Jew was typically left to the individual person up until the end of the 18th century. Majority, especially in Germany and eastern Europe, still followed the custom having their father’s name included in their name. Whereas, Jews in Spain, Portugal, and Italy had already adopted the practice of using fixed family names. 1

One of the most common traditions for adopting surnames in Medieval Europe was for a person to assume a name that clearly illustrated his occupation. It is probable that the surname Glassman was such an occupational name. However, this name and its variants was also held by those who did were not of an occupation related to glass in anyway; they most probably held such a name ornamentally in order to fit in with the non-Jewish majority in the regions in which they lived.

Glassman Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Glass, Glassman, Gluzband (glass ribbon), Glasberg, Glassberg, Gluzberg (glass hill), Glassgold (glass gold), Glassmann (glass man), Glassheib (pane of glass), Gluzschneider (glass cutter) and many more.

Glassman Ranking

In the United States, the name Glassman is the 8,138th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 2


Contemporary Notables of the name Glassman (post 1700) +

  • Harry Paul Glassman (1928-1981), American lawyer and jurist
  • Caroline Duby Glassman (1922-2013), American attorney and jurist, Associate Justice of the Maine Supreme Judicial Court (1983-1987), the first woman to serve on the Maine Supreme Judicial Court
  • William Glassman (1858-1916), American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Utah, 1912 3
  • Robert F. Glassman, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Kansas, 1960 3
  • Mary A. Glassman, American Democratic Party politician, First Selectman of Simsbury, Connecticut, 2011-12 3
  • Jon David Glassman (b. 1944), American politician, U.S. Ambassador to Paraguay, 1991-94 3
  • Harry P. Glassman (d. 1981), American politician, Justice of Maine State Supreme Court, 1979-81 3
  • Charisse Glassman, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Virginia, 2008 3
  • Caroline D. Glassman, American politician, Justice of Maine State Supreme Court, 1983- 3
  • Barry Glassman, American Republican politician, Member of Maryland State House of Delegates District 35-A; Elected 1998 3
  • ... (Another 1 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)


  1. Kaganoff, Benzion C. A Dictionary of Jewish names and their history. Schocken Books, 1977. Digital
  2. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  3. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 26) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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