Find out how popular the last name Gailey is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Gailey.

Gailey, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Gailey surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Gailey in America

Gailey is the 8873rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Gailey surname appeared 3,690 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Gailey.

We can also compare 2010 data for Gailey to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Gailey

The surname GAILEY is of British origin, specifically from the Gaelic language spoken in parts of Scotland and Ireland. The name is believed to have emerged in the 12th or 13th century.

GAILEY is thought to be a variant spelling of the Scottish surname GAILY, which itself is derived from the Gaelic personal name "Gaillí." This name comes from the Celtic word elements "gall" meaning "stranger" or "foreigner," and a diminutive suffix "-í."

Some of the earliest recorded instances of the GAILEY surname can be found in Scottish parish records from the 16th and 17th centuries, with spellings such as "Gaily," "Gailie," and "Gaillie." The name was particularly prevalent in the counties of Ayrshire and Lanarkshire.

One notable bearer of the GAILEY surname was Robert Gailey (1756-1824), a Scottish minister and author who wrote several religious works. Another was John Gailey (1792-1859), a Scottish-born merchant and shipowner who settled in New Brunswick, Canada.

In the United States, one of the earliest recorded instances of the GAILEY surname was James Gailey, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania from Ireland in 1798. Another early American bearer was William Gailey (1808-1899), a farmer and landowner in Ohio.

A prominent figure in Australian history was Sir William Gailey (1856-1935), a businessman and politician who served as a member of the Parliament of South Australia. In the realm of sports, John Gailey (1927-2005) was an American football coach who led several college teams, including the United States Air Force Academy.

While the GAILEY surname is not among the most common in English-speaking countries, it has a rich history dating back to the Celtic roots of Scotland and Ireland, with bearers spread across various parts of the world.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Gailey

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Gailey.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Gailey was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Gailey has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Gailey was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Gailey, please contact us.

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