2000
#142,819
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Galanes
A Spanish surname derived from the word "galán" meaning handsome or well-dressed.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 127 Americans carry the last name Galanes. That puts it at #148,665 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,698,853 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Galanes 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.
Bearers in the US
127
1 in 2,698,853
Census rank
#148,665
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
111
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 111 bearers of the surname Galanes in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 148665th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Galanes, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (23.4%) and Black (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Galanes
The surname Galanes has its origins in Spain, dating back to the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Spanish word "galan," which means a well-dressed or courtly man. This suggests that the name may have initially been a descriptive nickname for someone who exhibited such qualities.
The earliest known records of the Galanes surname can be found in various Spanish documents from the 13th and 14th centuries. One notable example is Juan Galanes, a nobleman who lived in the city of Seville during the late 14th century. He was recorded as a prominent figure in the local government and a landowner.
Another early mention of the name is in the Catalan manuscript "Llibre de la Franquesa de Mallorca," which dates back to the 15th century. This document lists several individuals with the surname Galanes, indicating that the name was present in the Balearic Islands during that time.
In the 16th century, the Galanes family gained prominence in the town of Villanueva de los Infantes, located in the province of Ciudad Real. One of the most notable members of this family was Pedro Galanes, a scholar and author who lived from 1530 to 1598. He wrote several works on theology and philosophy, including "Commentaria in Aristotelis Logicam" and "De Sanctissima Trinitate."
Another significant figure with the Galanes surname was Francisca Galanes, who lived in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. She was a renowned poet and writer from the city of Valladolid, known for her contributions to the Spanish Golden Age literature.
During the colonial era, the Galanes surname spread to the Americas as Spanish explorers and settlers ventured to the New World. One notable individual was Diego Galanes, a Spanish conquistador who participated in the conquest of Peru alongside Francisco Pizarro in the 16th century.
The Galanes name has also been associated with various place names in Spain, such as Galanes de Caminomorisco, a village in the province of Cáceres, and Galanes de Guadiana, a municipality in the province of Badajoz. These place names likely derived from the presence of individuals with the Galanes surname in those areas.
Throughout history, the Galanes surname has been carried by numerous individuals across different fields, including literature, academia, exploration, and military service. While the exact origins of the name remain shrouded in the mists of time, its presence in various historical records and its association with notable figures highlight its enduring legacy in Spanish culture and history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Galanes
Among Census respondents with the surname Galanes, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (23.4%) and Black (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Galanes 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 Galanes surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White72.1% · 80
- Hispanic or Latino23.4% · 26
- Black or African American2.7% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Galanes
Galanes 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
#147,253
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
+5 bearers (+4.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,434 places
2020
#148,665
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
-1 bearers (-0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 1,412 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #142,819 | 107 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #147,253 | 112 | 0.04 | +5 bearers (+4.7%) | Down 4,434 places |
| 2020 | #148,665 | 111 | 0.04 | -1 bearers (-0.9%) | Down 1,412 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 Galanes 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 | #147,253 | #148,665 | -1.0% |
| Count | 112 | 111 | -0.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Galanes bearers went from 112 to 111 (-0.9% change). The surname moved down 1,412 positions in the national ranking, going from #147,253 to #148,665.
FAQ
Galanes surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Galanes?
Name Census estimates that about 127 living Americans carry the surname Galanes. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,698,853 residents.
How common is Galanes?
Galanes ranks #148,665 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 111 people with the surname Galanes. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (127), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Galanes.
Has Galanes become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Galanes went from 112 recorded bearers to 111. That is a decrease of 1 (-0.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #147,253 to #148,665.
What does the Census say about the background of Galanes?
Among Census respondents with the surname Galanes, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (23.4%) and Black (2.7%). 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 Galanes in the 2020 Census, accounting for 72.1% (80 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Galanes appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (72.1%), Hispanic (23.4%), Black (2.7%). 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 Galanes (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 Galanes mean?
A Spanish surname derived from the word "galán" meaning handsome or well-dressed. 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 Galanes (0.04 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 Galanes?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans have the surname Galanes on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.