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

Galek, 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 Galek surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Galek in America

Galek is the 83541st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Galek surname appeared 225 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Galek.

We can also compare 2010 data for Galek 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 Galek

The surname Galek originates from Poland, where it first emerged in the late 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Polish word "gal," meaning "branch" or "twig," suggesting that the name may have been initially given as a descriptive nickname to someone who lived near a distinctive tree or group of trees.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Galek surname can be found in a 13th-century manuscript from the town of Krakow, where a man named Jakub Galek was listed as a landowner. This document provides evidence of the name's existence and usage during that time period.

In the 14th century, the name appeared in various records from the Silesian region of Poland. One notable example is a 1367 entry in the Codex Diplomaticus Silesiae, which mentions a man named Jan Galek who was a merchant in the city of Wroclaw.

As the Galek family spread throughout Poland over the centuries, the name also took on various spellings and regional variations, such as Galek, Galecki, and Galka. These variations likely emerged due to differences in local dialects and the influence of other languages in different areas of the country.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the Galek surname was Mikołaj Galek, a Polish nobleman and military leader who lived in the late 15th century. He played a significant role in defending the city of Lviv against the Tatar invasion of 1498.

Another notable figure was Jan Galek (1619-1682), a Polish priest and theologian who served as the rector of the Jagiellonian University in Krakow. He was known for his contributions to the field of philosophy and his writings on ethics and moral theology.

In the 18th century, Franciszek Galek (1736-1801) was a prominent Polish architect and urban planner. He designed several notable buildings in Warsaw, including the Royal Palace and the Łazienki Palace.

The 19th century saw the rise of Karol Galek (1832-1898), a Polish painter and art educator. He is known for his landscapes and genre paintings, as well as his work as a professor at the Academy of Fine Arts in Krakow.

Lastly, Władysław Galek (1879-1945) was a Polish lawyer and politician who served as a member of the Sejm (the lower house of the Polish parliament) in the early 20th century. He was also a prominent advocate for workers' rights and social reforms.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Galek

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

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

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

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