2000
#433
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 68,075
First available Census row
Per 100,000 25.24
Uncommon Last name
Gallagher
A surname of Irish origin meaning "descendant of Gallchobhar," derived from Gaelic elements meaning "foreign helper."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 76,906 Americans carry the last name Gallagher. That puts it at #488 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 22.44 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 4,457 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gallagher 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Gallagher with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
77K
1 in 4,457
Census rank
#488
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
22.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
67K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 67,066 bearers of the surname Gallagher in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 22.44 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 488th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gallagher, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gallagher
The surname Gallagher is of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic name "O'Gallchobhair", which means "foreign helper" or "foreign auxiliary soldier". It is believed to have originated in the counties of Donegal, Fermanagh, and Tyrone in Ulster province, Ireland, sometime around the 10th or 11th century.
The name is thought to be related to the Old Irish word "gall", meaning "foreigner" or "stranger", and "cobhair", meaning "help" or "assistance". This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who provided assistance to foreigners or worked as a mercenary soldier.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Annals of Ulster, a chronicle of medieval Irish history, which mentions a Gallagher clan in the year 1257. Another early reference is in the Pipe Rolls of Cloyne, a record of taxes paid to the English crown, where a "Willelmus O'Galchar" is listed in 1302.
In the 16th century, the Gallagher clan was prominent in County Donegal, and several members are mentioned in the Annals of the Four Masters, a renowned historical chronicle. One notable figure was Rory Gallagher, who died in 1586 after being captured by the English during the Nine Years' War.
Other notable individuals with the surname Gallagher include:
1. Brendan Gallagher (born 1992), Canadian professional ice hockey player for the Montreal Canadiens.
2. Liam Gallagher (born 1972), English singer and songwriter, former lead vocalist of the rock band Oasis.
3. Noel Gallagher (born 1967), English singer and songwriter, former lead guitarist and songwriter for Oasis.
4. Rory Gallagher (1948-1995), Irish blues and rock multi-instrumentalist, singer, and songwriter.
5. Tess Gallagher (born 1943), American author, essayist, and poet.
The name Gallagher has also been associated with various place names in Ireland, such as Ballynaglagh (meaning "town of the Gallaghers") in County Donegal and Drumgallagher (meaning "ridge of the Gallaghers") in County Tyrone.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gallagher
Among Census respondents with the surname Gallagher, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Gallagher 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 Gallagher surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.8% · 61,584
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 2,396
- Two or more races2.7% · 1,831
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 552
- Black or African American0.8% · 509
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 194
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gallagher
Gallagher 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
#479
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 69,834
+1,759 bearers (+2.6%)
Per 100,000 23.67
Rank movement Down 46 places
2020
#488
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 67,066
-2,768 bearers (-4.0%)
Per 100,000 22.44
Rank movement Down 9 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #433 | 68,075 | 25.24 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #479 | 69,834 | 23.67 | +1,759 bearers (+2.6%) | Down 46 places |
| 2020 | #488 | 67,066 | 22.44 | -2,768 bearers (-4.0%) | Down 9 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 Gallagher 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 | #479 | #488 | -1.9% |
| Count | 69,834 | 67,066 | -4.0% |
| Per 100K | 23.67 | 22.44 | -5.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gallagher bearers went from 69,834 to 67,066 (-4.0% change). The surname moved down 9 positions in the national ranking, going from #479 to #488.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Gallagher
FAQ
Gallagher surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gallagher?
Name Census estimates that about 76,906 living Americans carry the surname Gallagher. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 4,457 residents.
How common is Gallagher?
Gallagher ranks #488 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 22.44 per 100,000 residents, which is about 22 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 67,066 people with the surname Gallagher. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (76,906), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 22.44 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 22.44 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 22 of them to have the surname Gallagher.
Has Gallagher become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gallagher went from 69,834 recorded bearers to 67,066. That is a decrease of 2,768 (-4.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #479 to #488.
What does the Census say about the background of Gallagher?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gallagher, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Gallagher in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.8% (61,584 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gallagher appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.8%), Hispanic (3.6%), Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Gallagher (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 Gallagher mean?
A surname of Irish origin meaning "descendant of Gallchobhar," derived from Gaelic elements meaning "foreign helper." 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 Gallagher (22.44 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 Gallagher?
Find out how common the surname Gallagher is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.