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

Galbraith, 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 Galbraith surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Galbraith in America

Galbraith is the 3997th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Galbraith surname appeared 8,886 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname Galbraith.

We can also compare 2010 data for Galbraith 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 Galbraith

The surname Galbraith is of Scottish origin, originating from the Gaelic words "gall" meaning "stranger" or "foreigner" and "bhreathnach" meaning "British" or "Briton". It is believed to have emerged in the 12th century in the Scottish Lowlands.

The name Galbraith is closely linked to the ancient Scottish clan of the same name, which held lands in the counties of Dunbartonshire, Stirlingshire, and Lanarkshire. The name is first recorded in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a record of Scottish nobility swearing allegiance to King Edward I of England.

One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name was Maurice de Galbraith, who is mentioned in a charter from the reign of King Alexander II of Scotland (1198-1249). Another early record is of William de Galbrath, who witnessed a charter in 1292.

The Galbraiths played a significant role in Scottish history, particularly during the Wars of Scottish Independence. Sir Maurice Galbraith was a prominent supporter of Robert the Bruce and fought alongside him at the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314.

Notable individuals with the surname Galbraith include:

1. John Galbraith (1794-1860), a Scottish-American pioneer and founder of the city of Galbraith, Ohio.
2. John Kenneth Galbraith (1908-2006), a renowned Canadian-American economist and author, best known for his works on economics and public policy.
3. Robert Galbraith (1965-), the pen name of British author J.K. Rowling for her crime fiction series featuring the detective Cormoran Strike.
4. Alastair Galbraith (1944-), a Scottish former professional football player and manager.
5. Vivian Hunter Galbraith (1889-1976), an English historian and paleographer, known for his work on medieval manuscripts.

The name Galbraith has also been associated with various place names in Scotland, such as Galbraith's Lands in Ayrshire and Galbraith's Croft in Stirlingshire, reflecting the historical presence of the clan in these regions.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Galbraith

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

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 Galbraith 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 Galbraith 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 Galbraith was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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