2000
#124,109
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 128
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Galetto
A diminutive Italian surname derived from the word "gallo" meaning "rooster".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 130 Americans carry the last name Galetto. That puts it at #147,221 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,636,572 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Galetto 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
130
1 in 2,636,572
Census rank
#147,221
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
113
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 113 bearers of the surname Galetto in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147221st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Galetto, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.6%) and Two or More Races (5.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Galetto
The surname Galetto has its origins in Northern Italy, specifically in the regions of Lombardy and Piedmont, dating back to the late medieval period. It is derived from the Italian word "galletto," which means "cockerel" or "young rooster." This suggests that the name may have been initially given as a nickname to someone who exhibited rooster-like characteristics or had a connection to poultry farming.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Galetto can be found in the "Codex Cumanus," a 13th-century manuscript from the town of Como, which lists a certain "Petrus Galetto" as a resident. Another early mention is in the "Liber Consuetudinum Mediolani," a legal code from Milan, where a "Iohannes Galetto" is mentioned in a land transaction from the late 13th century.
The name Galetto has also been associated with several notable historical figures. One such individual was Galeazzo Galetto, a prominent 15th-century merchant and diplomat from the city of Genoa, who was involved in trade negotiations with the Republic of Venice (born around 1420, died circa 1490). Another was Girolamo Galetto, a 16th-century painter from the town of Vercelli, known for his religious artworks (born in 1532, died in 1599).
In the 17th century, there was a Galetto family who had established themselves in the town of Savigliano, in the province of Cuneo. One member of this family, Giovanni Battista Galetto (born in 1645, died in 1710), was a respected lawyer and legal scholar who authored several treatises on local laws and customs.
Moving forward to the 19th century, there was a notable Italian patriot and revolutionary named Carlo Galetto (born in 1817, died in 1897), who was involved in the struggles for Italian unification and served as a member of the first Italian parliament after the country's formation.
Throughout its history, the surname Galetto has also been associated with various place names and geographic locations in Northern Italy, such as the town of Galetto in the province of Alessandria, and the Galetto Valley in the province of Cuneo. Additionally, variations in spelling, such as "Galletto" and "Galetti," have been observed in different regions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Galetto
Among Census respondents with the surname Galetto, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.6%) and Two or More Races (5.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Galetto 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 Galetto surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White78.8% · 89
- Hispanic or Latino10.6% · 12
- Two or more races5.3% · 6
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.7% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.7% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Galetto
Galetto 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
#125,282
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 137
+9 bearers (+7.0%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 1,173 places
2020
#147,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
-24 bearers (-17.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 21,939 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #124,109 | 128 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #125,282 | 137 | 0.05 | +9 bearers (+7.0%) | Down 1,173 places |
| 2020 | #147,221 | 113 | 0.04 | -24 bearers (-17.5%) | Down 21,939 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 Galetto 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 | #125,282 | #147,221 | -17.5% |
| Count | 137 | 113 | -17.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -24.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Galetto bearers went from 137 to 113 (-17.5% change). The surname moved down 21,939 positions in the national ranking, going from #125,282 to #147,221.
FAQ
Galetto surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Galetto?
Name Census estimates that about 130 living Americans carry the surname Galetto. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,636,572 residents.
How common is Galetto?
Galetto ranks #147,221 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 113 people with the surname Galetto. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (130), 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 Galetto.
Has Galetto become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Galetto went from 137 recorded bearers to 113. That is a decrease of 24 (-17.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #125,282 to #147,221.
What does the Census say about the background of Galetto?
Among Census respondents with the surname Galetto, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.6%) and Two or More Races (5.3%). 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 Galetto in the 2020 Census, accounting for 78.8% (89 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Galetto appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (78.8%), Hispanic (10.6%), Two or More Races (5.3%). 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 Galetto (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 Galetto mean?
A diminutive Italian surname derived from the word "gallo" meaning "rooster". 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 Galetto (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 Americans have the surname Galetto?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.