2000
#7,814
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,925
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.45
Rare Last name
Gailey
An Irish toponymic surname derived from the Gaelic "Ó Gáibhtheáin," meaning "descendant of a fierce warrior."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,447 Americans carry the last name Gailey. That puts it at #10,207 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.01 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 99,436 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gailey surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Gailey with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.4K
1 in 99,436
Census rank
#10,207
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,006 bearers of the surname Gailey in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.01 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10207th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gailey, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gailey
Among Census respondents with the surname Gailey, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Gailey bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Gailey surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.0% · 2,675
- Two or more races3.4% · 102
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 101
- Black or African American3.0% · 89
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 24
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 15
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gailey
Gailey appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#8,873
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,690
-235 bearers (-6.0%)
Per 100,000 1.25
Rank movement Down 1,059 places
2020
#10,207
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,006
-684 bearers (-18.5%)
Per 100,000 1.01
Rank movement Down 1,334 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,814 | 3,925 | 1.45 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,873 | 3,690 | 1.25 | -235 bearers (-6.0%) | Down 1,059 places |
| 2020 | #10,207 | 3,006 | 1.01 | -684 bearers (-18.5%) | Down 1,334 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Gailey surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #8,873 | #10,207 | -15.0% |
| Count | 3,690 | 3,006 | -18.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.25 | 1.01 | -19.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gailey bearers went from 3,690 to 3,006 (-18.5% change). The surname moved down 1,334 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,873 to #10,207.
FAQ
Gailey surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gailey?
Name Census estimates that about 3,447 living Americans carry the surname Gailey. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 99,436 residents.
How common is Gailey?
Gailey ranks #10,207 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.01 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,006 people with the surname Gailey. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,447), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.01 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.01 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Gailey.
Has Gailey become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gailey went from 3,690 recorded bearers to 3,006. That is a decrease of 684 (-18.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,873 to #10,207.
What does the Census say about the background of Gailey?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gailey, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (3.4%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Gailey in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.0% (2,675 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gailey appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.0%), Two or More Races (3.4%), Hispanic (3.4%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Gailey (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Gailey mean?
An Irish toponymic surname derived from the Gaelic "Ó Gáibhtheáin," meaning "descendant of a fierce warrior." The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Gailey (1.01 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How common is the surname Gailey?
Find out how many people have the last name Gailey on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.