2000
#6,502
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,815
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.78
Rare Last name
Galaviz
A surname of Spanish origin, possibly derived from the place name Gálvez, meaning "a person from Gálvez."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,232 Americans carry the last name Galaviz. That puts it at #5,333 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.11 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 47,394 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Galaviz 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
7.2K
1 in 47,394
Census rank
#5,333
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,307 bearers of the surname Galaviz in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.11 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5333rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Galaviz, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.2%. The next largest groups are White (5.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Galaviz
The surname Galaviz is of Spanish origin, believed to have emerged in the 16th or 17th century. It is derived from the Galician name 'Galviz', which itself is a variation of the Germanic name 'Galvidiz'. The name is thought to have originated in the northern regions of Spain, particularly in Galicia and Asturias.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Galaviz can be found in the parish records of the town of Gijón, Asturias, dating back to the late 16th century. The name is also mentioned in several medieval manuscripts from the region, often in connection with landowners and noblemen.
In the 18th century, a notable figure bearing the surname Galaviz was Juan Antonio Galaviz, a Spanish military officer who served in the Spanish Army during the Napoleonic Wars. He was born in 1776 in Santander and died in 1832 in Seville.
Another historical figure was María Galaviz, a Spanish nun and educator who lived in the 19th century. She founded a school for girls in Oviedo, Asturias, and was renowned for her dedication to education and social welfare.
During the 20th century, one of the most prominent individuals with the surname Galaviz was José Galaviz, a Mexican painter and sculptor. He was born in 1892 in Durango, Mexico, and his works are renowned for their depictions of Mexican culture and traditions.
Other notable individuals with the surname Galaviz include Andrés Galaviz, a Spanish writer and poet who lived in the late 19th century, and Catalina Galaviz, a Spanish mathematician and astronomer from the 17th century, known for her contributions to the study of celestial mechanics.
The surname Galaviz has also been associated with several place names in Spain, such as the town of Galaviz in Asturias, which is believed to be the ancestral homeland of many individuals bearing this surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Galaviz
Among Census respondents with the surname Galaviz, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.2%. The next largest groups are White (5.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Galaviz 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 Galaviz surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino93.2% · 5,881
- White5.9% · 370
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 23
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 14
- Black or African American0.2% · 10
- Two or more races0.1% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Galaviz
Galaviz 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
#5,486
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,339
+1,524 bearers (+31.7%)
Per 100,000 2.15
Rank movement Up 1,016 places
2020
#5,333
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,307
-32 bearers (-0.5%)
Per 100,000 2.11
Rank movement Up 153 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,502 | 4,815 | 1.78 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,486 | 6,339 | 2.15 | +1,524 bearers (+31.7%) | Up 1,016 places |
| 2020 | #5,333 | 6,307 | 2.11 | -32 bearers (-0.5%) | Up 153 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 Galaviz 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 | #5,486 | #5,333 | 2.8% |
| Count | 6,339 | 6,307 | -0.5% |
| Per 100K | 2.15 | 2.11 | -1.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Galaviz bearers went from 6,339 to 6,307 (-0.5% change). The surname moved up 153 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,486 to #5,333.
FAQ
Galaviz surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Galaviz?
Name Census estimates that about 7,232 living Americans carry the surname Galaviz. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 47,394 residents.
How common is Galaviz?
Galaviz ranks #5,333 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.11 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,307 people with the surname Galaviz. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,232), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.11 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.11 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Galaviz.
Has Galaviz become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Galaviz went from 6,339 recorded bearers to 6,307. That is a decrease of 32 (-0.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #5,486 to #5,333.
What does the Census say about the background of Galaviz?
Among Census respondents with the surname Galaviz, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.2%. The next largest groups are White (5.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.4%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Galaviz in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.2% (5,881 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Galaviz appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (93.2%), White (5.9%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.4%). 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 Galaviz (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 Galaviz mean?
A surname of Spanish origin, possibly derived from the place name Gálvez, meaning "a person from Gálvez." 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 Galaviz (2.11 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 many people share the surname Galaviz?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.