2000
#3,808
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,555
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.17
Rare Last name
Galbraith
From the Gaelic "Gall Bhreathnach," meaning a foreigner or stranger from Britain, likely a Welshman or Strathclyder.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,935 Americans carry the last name Galbraith. That puts it at #3,970 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.90 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 34,500 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Galbraith 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 Galbraith with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
9.9K
1 in 34,500
Census rank
#3,970
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,664 bearers of the surname Galbraith in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.90 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3970th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Galbraith, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Galbraith
Among Census respondents with the surname Galbraith, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Galbraith 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 Galbraith surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.8% · 7,778
- Two or more races3.7% · 318
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 279
- Black or African American2.0% · 171
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 60
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 58
Timeline
Historical Census data for Galbraith
Galbraith 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
#3,997
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,886
+331 bearers (+3.9%)
Per 100,000 3.01
Rank movement Down 189 places
2020
#3,970
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,664
-222 bearers (-2.5%)
Per 100,000 2.90
Rank movement Up 27 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,808 | 8,555 | 3.17 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,997 | 8,886 | 3.01 | +331 bearers (+3.9%) | Down 189 places |
| 2020 | #3,970 | 8,664 | 2.90 | -222 bearers (-2.5%) | Up 27 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 Galbraith 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 | #3,997 | #3,970 | 0.7% |
| Count | 8,886 | 8,664 | -2.5% |
| Per 100K | 3.01 | 2.90 | -3.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Galbraith bearers went from 8,886 to 8,664 (-2.5% change). The surname moved up 27 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,997 to #3,970.
FAQ
Galbraith surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Galbraith?
Name Census estimates that about 9,935 living Americans carry the surname Galbraith. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 34,500 residents.
How common is Galbraith?
Galbraith ranks #3,970 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.90 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 8,664 people with the surname Galbraith. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,935), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.9 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.90 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Galbraith.
Has Galbraith become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Galbraith went from 8,886 recorded bearers to 8,664. That is a decrease of 222 (-2.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #3,997 to #3,970.
What does the Census say about the background of Galbraith?
Among Census respondents with the surname Galbraith, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (3.2%). 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 Galbraith in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.8% (7,778 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Galbraith appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.8%), Two or More Races (3.7%), Hispanic (3.2%). 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 Galbraith (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 Galbraith mean?
From the Gaelic "Gall Bhreathnach," meaning a foreigner or stranger from Britain, likely a Welshman or Strathclyder. 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 Galbraith (2.90 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 surname Galbraith?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.