2000
#89,172
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 193
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.07
Very Rare Last name
Galitz
A surname with German or Jewish origins meaning "from Galicia".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 229 Americans carry the last name Galitz. That puts it at #97,359 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.07 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,496,744 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Galitz 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
229
1 in 1,496,744
Census rank
#97,359
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
200
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 200 bearers of the surname Galitz in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.07 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 97359th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Galitz, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Galitz
The surname "GALITZ" is of Eastern European origin, specifically from the region of Galicia, which was formerly part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and is now split between modern-day Poland and Ukraine. The name likely emerged in the late Middle Ages or early Renaissance period.
The name "GALITZ" is derived from the Slavic root "galitz," which refers to the Galician region. It may also be connected to the Polish word "gal," meaning a branch or twig, suggesting a potential connection to a specific place or settlement within Galicia.
Historical records from the 16th and 17th centuries mention individuals with variations of the surname, such as "Galitzky" or "Galitsky," indicating the name's early presence in the region. However, there are no known references to the name in major medieval manuscripts or chronicles like the Domesday Book.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name "GALITZ" was Ivan Galitz (c. 1565-1630), a prominent merchant and landowner in the city of Lviv, which was then part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Another notable figure was Andrei Galitz (1620-1692), a Orthodox priest and scholar who wrote extensively on religious matters in the Galician region.
During the 18th and 19th centuries, the name "GALITZ" became more widespread as individuals with this surname migrated to other parts of Europe and beyond. Nikolai Galitz (1756-1821) was a Russian military officer who served under Catherine the Great and played a role in the Russo-Turkish Wars.
In the 20th century, one of the most famous individuals with the surname "GALITZ" was Dmitri Galitz (1901-1977), a Russian-born American chess grandmaster and author of several influential books on chess strategy and tactics.
Another notable figure was Irina Galitz (1925-2010), a Ukrainian-born American artist and illustrator known for her work in children's literature and her collaborations with renowned authors like Isaac Bashevis Singer.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Galitz
Among Census respondents with the surname Galitz, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Galitz 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 Galitz surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.0% · 184
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 8
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.5% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 2
- Two or more races0.5% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Galitz
Galitz 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
#89,403
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 207
+14 bearers (+7.3%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Down 231 places
2020
#97,359
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 200
-7 bearers (-3.4%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Down 7,956 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #89,172 | 193 | 0.07 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #89,403 | 207 | 0.07 | +14 bearers (+7.3%) | Down 231 places |
| 2020 | #97,359 | 200 | 0.07 | -7 bearers (-3.4%) | Down 7,956 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 Galitz 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 | #89,403 | #97,359 | -8.9% |
| Count | 207 | 200 | -3.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.07 | 0.07 | -4.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Galitz bearers went from 207 to 200 (-3.4% change). The surname moved down 7,956 positions in the national ranking, going from #89,403 to #97,359.
FAQ
Galitz surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Galitz?
Name Census estimates that about 229 living Americans carry the surname Galitz. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,496,744 residents.
How common is Galitz?
Galitz ranks #97,359 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.07 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 200 people with the surname Galitz. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (229), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.07 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.07 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 Galitz.
Has Galitz become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Galitz went from 207 recorded bearers to 200. That is a decrease of 7 (-3.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #89,403 to #97,359.
What does the Census say about the background of Galitz?
Among Census respondents with the surname Galitz, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.5%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Galitz in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.0% (184 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Galitz appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.0%), Hispanic (4.0%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.5%). 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 Galitz (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 Galitz mean?
A surname with German or Jewish origins meaning "from Galicia". 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 Galitz (0.07 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 are called Galitz?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the last name Galitz at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.