Family name origins & meanings
- German : from Middle High German (Old High German glocka, apparently ultimately from a Celtic source), hence a topographic name for someone who lived by the bell tower of a church, a habitational name from a house distinguished by the sign of a bell, or a metonymic occupational name for a sexton (who among other duties was responsible for ringing the church bell) or a town crier (who used a handbell to draw attention).