2000
#7,560
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,056
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.50
Rare Last name
Gallaher
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Ó Gallchobhair," meaning "descendant of a foreign helper or ally."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,337 Americans carry the last name Gallaher. That puts it at #8,383 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.27 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 79,030 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gallaher 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 Gallaher with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.3K
1 in 79,030
Census rank
#8,383
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,782 bearers of the surname Gallaher in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.27 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8383rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gallaher, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Black (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gallaher
The surname Gallaher has its origins in Ireland, with records dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to be an Anglicized form of the Irish Gaelic name Ó Gallchobhair, which means "descendant of the foreign-assistance." This name likely referred to an ancestor who provided assistance to foreigners or outsiders.
The name is thought to have originated in County Donegal, a region in the northwest of Ireland. Some early spellings of the name include Gallagher, Gallacher, and Gallocher. These variations reflect the various ways the name was recorded and pronounced by English-speaking officials and scribes.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Gallaher can be found in the Fiants of the Reign of Queen Elizabeth, a collection of Irish administrative records from the late 16th century. In these records, a man named John Gallaher is mentioned as a landholder in County Donegal in 1598.
In the 17th century, the name appears in the Hearth Money Rolls, a tax record that listed households in Ireland. Several Gallaher families are recorded as living in County Donegal during this period.
A notable figure with the surname Gallaher was Sir William Gallaher, a member of the Irish Parliament in the late 17th century. He was born in County Donegal in 1655 and played a role in the Williamite Wars, supporting the ascension of William III to the throne of England.
Another individual of note was Patrick Gallaher, an Irish Catholic priest and author who lived in the early 18th century. He wrote several works on theology and philosophy, including a treatise on the nature of the soul published in 1721.
In the 19th century, the name Gallaher appeared in various records and literature. One example is the novel "The Gallaher Family" by Irish writer Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu, published in 1868. The book is set in County Donegal and features characters with the Gallaher surname.
As the Irish diaspora spread throughout the world, the name Gallaher traveled with them. In the United States, for instance, a notable figure was Nicholas Gallaher, an American politician and soldier who served in the Revolutionary War. He was born in Pennsylvania in 1747 and later became a member of the Virginia House of Delegates.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gallaher
Among Census respondents with the surname Gallaher, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Black (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Gallaher 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 Gallaher surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.8% · 3,360
- Two or more races3.6% · 135
- Black or African American3.3% · 125
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 115
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 26
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 21
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gallaher
Gallaher 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
#7,885
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,198
+142 bearers (+3.5%)
Per 100,000 1.42
Rank movement Down 325 places
2020
#8,383
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,782
-416 bearers (-9.9%)
Per 100,000 1.27
Rank movement Down 498 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,560 | 4,056 | 1.50 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,885 | 4,198 | 1.42 | +142 bearers (+3.5%) | Down 325 places |
| 2020 | #8,383 | 3,782 | 1.27 | -416 bearers (-9.9%) | Down 498 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 Gallaher 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 | #7,885 | #8,383 | -6.3% |
| Count | 4,198 | 3,782 | -9.9% |
| Per 100K | 1.42 | 1.27 | -10.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gallaher bearers went from 4,198 to 3,782 (-9.9% change). The surname moved down 498 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,885 to #8,383.
FAQ
Gallaher surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gallaher?
Name Census estimates that about 4,337 living Americans carry the surname Gallaher. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 79,030 residents.
How common is Gallaher?
Gallaher ranks #8,383 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.27 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,782 people with the surname Gallaher. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,337), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.27 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.27 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Gallaher.
Has Gallaher become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gallaher went from 4,198 recorded bearers to 3,782. That is a decrease of 416 (-9.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,885 to #8,383.
What does the Census say about the background of Gallaher?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gallaher, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Black (3.3%). 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 Gallaher in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.8% (3,360 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gallaher appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.8%), Two or More Races (3.6%), Black (3.3%). 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 Gallaher (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 Gallaher mean?
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Ó Gallchobhair," meaning "descendant of a foreign helper or ally." 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 Gallaher (1.27 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 Gallaher?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.