2000
#24,807
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 942
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.35
Rare Last name
Galeas
A surname derived from the Spanish word for galley, a type of ship.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,275 Americans carry the last name Galeas. That puts it at #14,465 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.66 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 150,661 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Galeas 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
2.3K
1 in 150,661
Census rank
#14,465
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,984 bearers of the surname Galeas in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.66 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14465th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Galeas, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.8%. The next largest groups are White (4.2%) and Black (1.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Galeas
The surname "GALEAS" has its origins in Italy, specifically in the regions of Lombardy and Piedmont. It can be traced back to the late Middle Ages, around the 14th and 15th centuries. The name is derived from the Italian word "galea," which means "galley," a type of medieval ship propelled by sails and oars.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname can be found in the historical archives of the city of Milan, where a certain Galeazzo Galeas is mentioned as a prominent merchant and trader in the year 1389. This suggests that the name was associated with individuals involved in maritime activities or trade during that period.
In the 15th century, the Galeas family gained prominence in the city of Genoa, where they held influential positions within the maritime trade industry. Records from the Genoese archives indicate that a Giovanni Galeas served as a ship captain and navigator, leading expeditions across the Mediterranean in the late 1400s.
The surname "GALEAS" is also mentioned in several historical documents from the Venetian Republic, where it was associated with noble families engaged in naval operations and maritime commerce. One notable figure from this era was Andrea Galeas, a Venetian admiral who played a significant role in the Battle of Lepanto against the Ottoman Empire in 1571.
In the 16th century, the name "GALEAS" gained recognition in the region of Piedmont, particularly in the city of Turin. A prominent individual bearing this surname was Carlo Galeas, a renowned architect who designed several notable buildings in Turin, including the Palazzo Reale, between 1646 and 1659.
Another notable figure from the 17th century was Girolamo Galeas, a scholar and philosopher from Milan. He authored several works on theology and metaphysics and was a respected figure in the intellectual circles of his time, living from 1620 to 1688.
The surname "GALEAS" has also been associated with various place names throughout Italy, such as the town of Galera in the province of Cosenza, Calabria, and the village of Galera in the province of Cuneo, Piedmont. These place names may have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname in different regions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Galeas
Among Census respondents with the surname Galeas, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.8%. The next largest groups are White (4.2%) and Black (1.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Galeas 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 Galeas surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino93.8% · 1,861
- White4.2% · 83
- Black or African American1.1% · 22
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 9
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 5
- Two or more races0.2% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Galeas
Galeas 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
#16,601
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,727
+785 bearers (+83.3%)
Per 100,000 0.59
Rank movement Up 8,206 places
2020
#14,465
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,984
+257 bearers (+14.9%)
Per 100,000 0.66
Rank movement Up 2,136 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #24,807 | 942 | 0.35 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #16,601 | 1,727 | 0.59 | +785 bearers (+83.3%) | Up 8,206 places |
| 2020 | #14,465 | 1,984 | 0.66 | +257 bearers (+14.9%) | Up 2,136 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 Galeas 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 | #16,601 | #14,465 | 12.9% |
| Count | 1,727 | 1,984 | 14.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.59 | 0.66 | 12.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Galeas bearers went from 1,727 to 1,984 (+14.9% change). The surname moved up 2,136 positions in the national ranking, going from #16,601 to #14,465.
FAQ
Galeas surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Galeas?
Name Census estimates that about 2,275 living Americans carry the surname Galeas. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 150,661 residents.
How common is Galeas?
Galeas ranks #14,465 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.66 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,984 people with the surname Galeas. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,275), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.66 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.66 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Galeas.
Has Galeas become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Galeas went from 1,727 recorded bearers to 1,984. That is an increase of 257 (+14.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #16,601 to #14,465.
What does the Census say about the background of Galeas?
Among Census respondents with the surname Galeas, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.8%. The next largest groups are White (4.2%) and Black (1.1%). 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 Galeas in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.8% (1,861 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Galeas appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (93.8%), White (4.2%), Black (1.1%). 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 Galeas (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 Galeas mean?
A surname derived from the Spanish word for galley, a type of ship. 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 Galeas (0.66 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 common is the surname Galeas?
See how many people have the last name Galeas on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.