2000
#5,629
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,655
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.10
Uncommon Last name
Galicia
A locational surname indicating ancestral origins in the region of Galicia, Spain, or the historical region of Eastern Europe.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 10,335 Americans carry the last name Galicia. That puts it at #3,838 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.02 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 33,164 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Galicia 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
10K
1 in 33,164
Census rank
#3,838
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
9.0K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 9,013 bearers of the surname Galicia in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.02 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3838th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Galicia, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (5.1%) and White (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Galicia
The surname Galicia has its origins in the northwestern region of Spain known as Galicia. It is believed to have first emerged in the 9th century during the early years of the Reconquista, the period of Christian reconquest of the Iberian Peninsula from the Moors.
The name Galicia is derived from the ancient Roman province of Gallaecia, which encompassed parts of modern-day northern Portugal and the Galicia region of Spain. The name is thought to come from the Latin word "gallus," meaning "Gaul" or "Celt," referring to the Celtic tribes that inhabited the area during Roman times.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the surname Galicia can be found in the Codex Calixtinus, a 12th-century manuscript that documents the history and miracles associated with the Way of St. James, or the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage route. The manuscript mentions several individuals with the surname Galicia who lived in the region during that time.
In the 13th century, the Galician poet and trobador Martín Codax is one of the earliest known figures to bear the surname Galicia. His poems, known as the "Cantigas de Amigo," are among the earliest examples of Galician-Portuguese lyric poetry.
Another notable figure with the surname Galicia was Pedro de Galicia, a 14th-century Spanish architect who is credited with designing the Gothic-style Seville Cathedral, one of the largest cathedrals in the world.
During the 15th century, the explorer and navigator Juan de Galicia accompanied Christopher Columbus on his second voyage to the Americas in 1493. He was born in the Galicia region around 1460 and is believed to have been one of the first Europeans to set foot in the Caribbean.
In the 16th century, the Galician poet and playwright Gómez García de Galicia was a prominent figure in the Spanish Golden Age of literature. His works included satirical plays and poetry that often criticized the social and political conditions of the time.
Throughout history, the surname Galicia has been associated with various place names and spellings, such as Galiza, Gallicia, and Gallego, reflecting the regional variations and linguistic influences in the area.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Galicia
Among Census respondents with the surname Galicia, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (5.1%) and White (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Galicia 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 Galicia surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino90.5% · 8,154
- Asian and Pacific Islander5.1% · 459
- White3.5% · 312
- Two or more races0.5% · 46
- Black or African American0.3% · 24
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 18
Timeline
Historical Census data for Galicia
Galicia 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
#3,837
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,229
+3,574 bearers (+63.2%)
Per 100,000 3.13
Rank movement Up 1,792 places
2020
#3,838
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,013
-216 bearers (-2.3%)
Per 100,000 3.02
Rank movement Down 1 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,629 | 5,655 | 2.10 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,837 | 9,229 | 3.13 | +3,574 bearers (+63.2%) | Up 1,792 places |
| 2020 | #3,838 | 9,013 | 3.02 | -216 bearers (-2.3%) | Down 1 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 Galicia 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 | #3,837 | #3,838 | -0.0% |
| Count | 9,229 | 9,013 | -2.3% |
| Per 100K | 3.13 | 3.02 | -3.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Galicia bearers went from 9,229 to 9,013 (-2.3% change). The surname moved down 1 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,837 to #3,838.
FAQ
Galicia surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Galicia?
Name Census estimates that about 10,335 living Americans carry the surname Galicia. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 33,164 residents.
How common is Galicia?
Galicia ranks #3,838 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.02 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 9,013 people with the surname Galicia. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (10,335), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.02 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.02 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Galicia.
Has Galicia become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Galicia went from 9,229 recorded bearers to 9,013. That is a decrease of 216 (-2.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,837 to #3,838.
What does the Census say about the background of Galicia?
Among Census respondents with the surname Galicia, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (5.1%) and White (3.5%). 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 Galicia in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.5% (8,154 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Galicia appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (90.5%), Asian/Pacific Islander (5.1%), White (3.5%). 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 Galicia (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 Galicia mean?
A locational surname indicating ancestral origins in the region of Galicia, Spain, or the historical region of Eastern Europe. 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 Galicia (3.02 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 surname Galicia?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.