2000
#3,681
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,855
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.28
Rare Last name
Gallant
A French occupational surname referring to a brave or chivalrous person, derived from the Old French word "galant".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,592 Americans carry the last name Gallant. That puts it at #4,119 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.80 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 35,733 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gallant 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 Gallant with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
9.6K
1 in 35,733
Census rank
#4,119
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,365 bearers of the surname Gallant in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.80 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4119th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gallant, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gallant
The surname "GALLANT" originates from France, where it first emerged in the 12th century. It is derived from the Old French word "gaillart," meaning "lively" or "high-spirited." The name likely referred to someone with a cheerful or courageous demeanor.
In its early days, the name was primarily concentrated in the northern regions of France, particularly in Normandy and Brittany. Records from the 13th century show variations in spelling, such as "Gallan" and "Gallart," which eventually evolved into the modern form of "Gallant."
One of the earliest known references to the name appears in the Livre des Métiers, a medieval guild register from Paris, dated around 1268. It mentions a "Jehan Gallant," who was a member of the tailors' guild.
The name also appears in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive record of landowners in England compiled in 1086 under the orders of William the Conqueror. Several individuals with the surname "Gallant" or similar spellings are listed as landowners or tenants in various counties.
Notable individuals with the surname "Gallant" throughout history include:
1. Sir Thomas Gallant (c. 1490-1551), an English soldier and member of Parliament during the reign of Henry VIII.
2. Pierre Gallant (1642-1714), a French colonist and one of the earliest settlers in Acadia (now Nova Scotia, Canada).
3. Jean-Baptiste Gallant (1773-1838), a French-Canadian farmer and political figure who served in the Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada.
4. Mavis Gallant (1922-2014), a celebrated Canadian novelist and short story writer known for her exquisite prose and depictions of exile and displacement.
5. Dexter Gallant (born 1976), a Canadian professional ice hockey player who played in the NHL for teams such as the Calgary Flames and New York Rangers.
While the surname "Gallant" has French origins, it has spread to various parts of the world, including Canada, the United States, and other English-speaking countries, due to migration and cultural exchange over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gallant
Among Census respondents with the surname Gallant, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Gallant 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 Gallant surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.3% · 7,555
- Two or more races3.0% · 255
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 240
- Black or African American2.3% · 195
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 68
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 52
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gallant
Gallant 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
#3,931
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,051
+196 bearers (+2.2%)
Per 100,000 3.07
Rank movement Down 250 places
2020
#4,119
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,365
-686 bearers (-7.6%)
Per 100,000 2.80
Rank movement Down 188 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,681 | 8,855 | 3.28 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,931 | 9,051 | 3.07 | +196 bearers (+2.2%) | Down 250 places |
| 2020 | #4,119 | 8,365 | 2.80 | -686 bearers (-7.6%) | Down 188 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 Gallant 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 | #3,931 | #4,119 | -4.8% |
| Count | 9,051 | 8,365 | -7.6% |
| Per 100K | 3.07 | 2.80 | -8.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gallant bearers went from 9,051 to 8,365 (-7.6% change). The surname moved down 188 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,931 to #4,119.
FAQ
Gallant surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gallant?
Name Census estimates that about 9,592 living Americans carry the surname Gallant. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 35,733 residents.
How common is Gallant?
Gallant ranks #4,119 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.80 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 8,365 people with the surname Gallant. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,592), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.8 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.80 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 Gallant.
Has Gallant become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gallant went from 9,051 recorded bearers to 8,365. That is a decrease of 686 (-7.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,931 to #4,119.
What does the Census say about the background of Gallant?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gallant, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (2.9%). 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 Gallant in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.3% (7,555 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gallant appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.3%), Two or More Races (3.0%), Hispanic (2.9%). 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 Gallant (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 Gallant mean?
A French occupational surname referring to a brave or chivalrous person, derived from the Old French word "galant". 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 Gallant (2.80 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 Gallant?
Find out how many people have the last name Gallant on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.