Galo
A masculine name of Brazilian origin meaning "rooster".
Name Census estimates that about 353 living Americans carry the first name Galo. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Galo today is around 32 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Galo births was 1972 (14 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Galo. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
353
~ 1 in 970,975 Americans
Peak year
1972
14 babies that year
Average age
32
years old
2024 SSA rank
#10,191
Tracked since 1961
Popularity
Galo: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Galo from the 1960s through to the 2020s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 87 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2000s peak, Galo remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Galo by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Galo during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Galos live
Origin
Meaning and history of Galo
The name Galo has its origins in the Iberian Peninsula, specifically in the regions of Galicia, Spain and northern Portugal. It is derived from the Latin word "Gallus," which means "Galician" or "Celt." This name has been in use since ancient times, with records dating back to the Roman era.
During the Middle Ages, the name Galo was quite popular among the Galician nobility and was often associated with bravery and strength. One of the earliest known bearers of this name was Galo de Venanci, a Galician monk who lived in the 6th century and was renowned for his piety and wisdom.
In the 12th century, Galo appears in the Codex Calixtinus, a medieval manuscript that recounts the life of St. James the Great and the pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela. This document mentions a character named Galo, who was a wealthy nobleman from the region and a benefactor of the pilgrimage.
Another notable figure bearing this name was Galo Fernández, a 13th-century Galician troubadour and poet. His works were highly influential in the development of Galician-Portuguese literature and contributed to the preservation of the region's cultural heritage.
In the 15th century, Galo de Salamanca was a renowned Spanish humanist and scholar. He was a professor at the University of Salamanca and played a crucial role in the spread of Renaissance ideas in Spain.
Moving forward in time, Galo Plaza Lasso was the President of Ecuador from 1948 to 1952. He was born in 1906 and played a significant role in modernizing the country's infrastructure and promoting economic development during his tenure.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals throughout history who bore the name Galo. While its usage may have fluctuated over time, the name has maintained a strong connection to its Galician roots and has been a part of the cultural fabric of the Iberian Peninsula for centuries.
People
Galo + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Galo as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with G
Other first names starting with G with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Galo: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Galo?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 353 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Galo going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 970,975 US residents.
Is Galo a common name?
We classify Galo as "Very Rare". It ranks above 81% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 368 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Galo most popular?
The single biggest year for Galo was 1972, when 14 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Galo is about 32 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Galo a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Galo in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.