2000
#2,197
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,193
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.63
Uncommon Last name
Gale
A topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a fertile area of land or a spring.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 17,187 Americans carry the last name Gale. That puts it at #2,378 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.01 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 19,943 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gale 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 Gale with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
17K
1 in 19,943
Census rank
#2,378
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
15K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 14,988 bearers of the surname Gale in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.01 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2378th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gale, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.7%. The next largest groups are Black (9.5%) and Hispanic (5.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gale
The surname GALE is of Old English origin, derived from the word "gal" meaning "loud" or "boisterous." It likely originated in the northern regions of England, particularly Yorkshire, during the early medieval period.
The earliest recorded mention of the name GALE can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Galle" and "Gail." This suggests that the name was already in use by the time of the Norman Conquest.
During the 13th century, the name appeared in various forms, such as "Gale," "Gayle," and "Gail," reflecting the variations in spelling and pronunciation common at the time. Some early bearers of the name include William Gale, recorded in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1207, and Reginald de Gale, mentioned in the Assize Rolls of Staffordshire in 1279.
The name GALE may also be derived from the Old English word "gal," meaning "madness" or "frenzy," suggesting that it could have been used as a nickname for an excitable or high-spirited person.
Historically, the surname GALE has been associated with several notable individuals. One of the earliest was Theophilus Gale (1628-1678), an English nonconformist minister and prolific writer. Another prominent bearer was Thomas Gale (1636-1702), an English classical scholar and antiquarian.
In the 18th century, Benjamin Gale (1715-1790) was a renowned English Baptist minister and author, while Samuel Gale (1682-1754) was a distinguished English antiquarian and editor of the Registrum Honoris de Richmond.
Moving into the 19th century, Reverend Frederick Gale (1832-1904) was an English clergyman and author of several works on ancient history and archaeology. He was also a prominent figure in the development of the University of Oxford's Ashmolean Museum.
Throughout its history, the surname GALE has been linked to various locations, including the village of Gale in North Yorkshire, which may have influenced the name's origins. Additionally, the surname is found in various place names, such as Galeborough in Lincolnshire and Gale Green in Cheshire.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gale
Among Census respondents with the surname Gale, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.7%. The next largest groups are Black (9.5%) and Hispanic (5.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Gale 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 Gale surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White79.7% · 11,946
- Black or African American9.5% · 1,422
- Hispanic or Latino5.0% · 743
- Two or more races4.1% · 608
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 183
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 86
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gale
Gale 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
#2,296
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,866
+673 bearers (+4.4%)
Per 100,000 5.38
Rank movement Down 99 places
2020
#2,378
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,988
-878 bearers (-5.5%)
Per 100,000 5.01
Rank movement Down 82 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,197 | 15,193 | 5.63 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,296 | 15,866 | 5.38 | +673 bearers (+4.4%) | Down 99 places |
| 2020 | #2,378 | 14,988 | 5.01 | -878 bearers (-5.5%) | Down 82 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 Gale 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 | #2,296 | #2,378 | -3.6% |
| Count | 15,866 | 14,988 | -5.5% |
| Per 100K | 5.38 | 5.01 | -6.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gale bearers went from 15,866 to 14,988 (-5.5% change). The surname moved down 82 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,296 to #2,378.
FAQ
Gale surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gale?
Name Census estimates that about 17,187 living Americans carry the surname Gale. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 19,943 residents.
How common is Gale?
Gale ranks #2,378 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.01 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 14,988 people with the surname Gale. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (17,187), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.01 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.01 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Gale.
Has Gale become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gale went from 15,866 recorded bearers to 14,988. That is a decrease of 878 (-5.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,296 to #2,378.
What does the Census say about the background of Gale?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gale, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.7%. The next largest groups are Black (9.5%) and Hispanic (5.0%). 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 Gale in the 2020 Census, accounting for 79.7% (11,946 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gale appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (79.7%), Black (9.5%), Hispanic (5.0%). 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 Gale (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 Gale mean?
A topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a fertile area of land or a spring. 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 Gale (5.01 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 Gale?
See how many people are called Gale on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.