2000
#142,819
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Galba
A Spanish surname likely indicating origins from the northern province of Cantabria.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 135 Americans carry the last name Galba. That puts it at #143,511 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,538,921 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Galba 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
135
1 in 2,538,921
Census rank
#143,511
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
118
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 118 bearers of the surname Galba in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 143511th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Galba, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.2%) and Two or More Races (6.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Galba
The surname Galba has its origins in ancient Rome, where it was a family name derived from the Latin word "galbus," meaning "greenish-yellow" or "pale." The name likely referred to the complexion or hair color of an ancestor.
In the 1st century AD, Servius Sulpicius Galba was a prominent Roman emperor who reigned briefly from 68 to 69 AD. He was part of the ancient Roman noble family known as the Sulpicii Galbae, which traced its roots back to the early days of the Roman Republic.
The name Galba appears in various historical records and manuscripts from ancient Rome, including the writings of Roman historians such as Suetonius and Tacitus. It is also found in inscriptions and other archaeological artifacts from the Roman era.
After the fall of the Roman Empire, the name Galba continued to be used in various parts of Europe, particularly in Italy and Spain, where it evolved into different spellings and variations, such as Galbo, Galva, and Galvao.
One notable bearer of the name was Juan Galvão, a 15th-century Portuguese explorer and navigator who played a significant role in the early exploration of the African coast. He was born around 1460 and died in the early 16th century.
Another prominent figure with the surname Galba was Antonio Galvão, a 16th-century Portuguese historian and writer who authored the influential work "Tratado dos Descobrimentos," a chronicle of the Portuguese discoveries and explorations. He lived from around 1490 to 1557.
In Spain, the name Galba was also found among nobility and influential families. One example is Juan de Galba, a 16th-century Spanish nobleman and military commander who served in the Spanish Wars of Religion. He was born in the late 16th century and died in the early 17th century.
In Italy, the name Galba can be traced back to the medieval period, with records showing families bearing this surname in various regions, including Tuscany and Umbria. One notable Italian with the surname Galba was Giorgio Galba, a 15th-century painter and architect from Florence, active during the Renaissance period.
While not as common as some other surnames, Galba has endured throughout history, carrying the legacy of its ancient Roman origins and appearing in various contexts and regions over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Galba
Among Census respondents with the surname Galba, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.2%) and Two or More Races (6.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Galba 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 Galba surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White80.5% · 95
- Hispanic or Latino10.2% · 12
- Two or more races6.8% · 8
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.5% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Galba
Galba 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
#144,141
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
+8 bearers (+7.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 1,322 places
2020
#143,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
+3 bearers (+2.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 630 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 | #144,141 | 115 | 0.04 | +8 bearers (+7.5%) | Down 1,322 places |
| 2020 | #143,511 | 118 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.6%) | Up 630 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 Galba 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 | #144,141 | #143,511 | 0.4% |
| Count | 115 | 118 | 2.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -1.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Galba bearers went from 115 to 118 (+2.6% change). The surname moved up 630 positions in the national ranking, going from #144,141 to #143,511.
FAQ
Galba surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Galba?
Name Census estimates that about 135 living Americans carry the surname Galba. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,538,921 residents.
How common is Galba?
Galba ranks #143,511 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 118 people with the surname Galba. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (135), 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 Galba.
Has Galba become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Galba went from 115 recorded bearers to 118. That is an increase of 3 (+2.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #144,141 to #143,511.
What does the Census say about the background of Galba?
Among Census respondents with the surname Galba, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.2%) and Two or More Races (6.8%). 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 Galba in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.5% (95 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Galba appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (80.5%), Hispanic (10.2%), Two or More Races (6.8%). 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 Galba (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 Galba mean?
A Spanish surname likely indicating origins from the northern province of Cantabria. 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 Galba (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 many people have the last name Galba?
See how many people are called Galba on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.