2000
#127,948
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 123
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Galeener
Possibly derived from the French "Galène" referring to a miner or worker of lead ore.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 133 Americans carry the last name Galeener. That puts it at #145,028 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,577,100 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Galeener 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
133
1 in 2,577,100
Census rank
#145,028
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
116
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 116 bearers of the surname Galeener in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145028th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Galeener, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Galeener
The surname Galeener is believed to have originated in England during the early medieval period, deriving from an Old English occupational name referring to a galley-man or rower. This suggests the name's earliest bearers may have been individuals employed on the galleys or rowing boats that plied the rivers and coasts of England.
The name's roots can be traced back to the Old English words "galere" or "galye," meaning a galley or rowing boat, and the suffix "-ner" or "-er," denoting an agent or one who performs an action. This combination likely gave rise to the earliest forms of the surname, such as "Galenere" or "Galenare."
Historical records from the 13th and 14th centuries mention individuals bearing variations of the name, such as William le Galenere, who was documented in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1275. Another early reference is found in the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in 1316, where a John Galenere is mentioned.
The Galeener surname is also linked to certain place names in England, such as Galen in Shropshire and Galen in Lancashire. These locations may have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the name in their respective regions.
Notable individuals bearing the Galeener surname throughout history include:
1. Richard Galeener (c. 1490 - 1560), a merchant and alderman in the City of London during the reign of Queen Mary I.
2. John Galeener (1623 - 1702), an English clergyman and author who published several theological works in the late 17th century.
3. Elizabeth Galeener (1675 - 1745), a philanthropist and benefactor who endowed several charitable institutions in her hometown of Bristol.
4. Thomas Galeener (1795 - 1872), a British naval officer who served in the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars and later became an Admiral.
5. William Galeener (1848 - 1922), a prominent industrialist and entrepreneur who founded the Galeener Manufacturing Company in Birmingham, producing machinery for the textile industry.
While the Galeener surname may have evolved over time and spread to other regions, its origins can be firmly rooted in the historical records of medieval England, reflecting the occupations and localities associated with its earliest bearers.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Galeener
Among Census respondents with the surname Galeener, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Galeener 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 Galeener surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.7% · 104
- Two or more races4.3% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native3.4% · 4
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 2
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Galeener
Galeener 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
#142,108
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
-6 bearers (-4.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 14,160 places
2020
#145,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
-1 bearers (-0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 2,920 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #127,948 | 123 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #142,108 | 117 | 0.04 | -6 bearers (-4.9%) | Down 14,160 places |
| 2020 | #145,028 | 116 | 0.04 | -1 bearers (-0.9%) | Down 2,920 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 Galeener 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 | #142,108 | #145,028 | -2.1% |
| Count | 117 | 116 | -0.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Galeener bearers went from 117 to 116 (-0.9% change). The surname moved down 2,920 positions in the national ranking, going from #142,108 to #145,028.
FAQ
Galeener surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Galeener?
Name Census estimates that about 133 living Americans carry the surname Galeener. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,577,100 residents.
How common is Galeener?
Galeener ranks #145,028 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 116 people with the surname Galeener. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (133), 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 Galeener.
Has Galeener become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Galeener went from 117 recorded bearers to 116. That is a decrease of 1 (-0.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #142,108 to #145,028.
What does the Census say about the background of Galeener?
Among Census respondents with the surname Galeener, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (3.4%). 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 Galeener in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.7% (104 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Galeener appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.7%), Two or More Races (4.3%), American Indian/Alaska Native (3.4%). 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 Galeener (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 Galeener mean?
Possibly derived from the French "Galène" referring to a miner or worker of lead ore. 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 Galeener (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 Galeener?
Find out how many Americans have the surname Galeener on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.