2000
#11,220
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,590
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.96
Rare Last name
Gallaway
A Scottish and Irish topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a rocky hill or stony area.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,756 Americans carry the last name Gallaway. That puts it at #12,345 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.80 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 124,367 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gallaway 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 Gallaway with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.8K
1 in 124,367
Census rank
#12,345
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,403 bearers of the surname Gallaway in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.80 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12345th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gallaway, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.9%. The next largest groups are Black (9.8%) and Two or More Races (4.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gallaway
The surname Gallaway has its origins in Scotland, where it first emerged in the 12th century. It is derived from the Gaelic words "gall," meaning "stranger" or "foreigner," and "àth," meaning "ford" or "stream crossing." This combination suggests that the name initially referred to a person who lived near a ford or stream crossing frequented by foreigners or strangers.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in historical Scottish records and charters from the 13th century. One notable example is a mention of a "Willelmus de Galhauath" in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a document recording the submission of Scottish noblemen to King Edward I of England.
In the 15th century, the name appeared in various spellings, such as Galloway, Gallowaie, and Gallua, reflecting the regional variations in pronunciation and spelling at the time. One prominent figure bearing this name was Sir Andrew Galloway, a Scottish knight who fought alongside King James IV at the Battle of Flodden in 1513.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Gallaway surname spread beyond Scotland as families migrated to other parts of the British Isles and eventually to the American colonies. Notable bearers of the name from this period include John Galloway (1592-1653), a Scottish minister and theologian, and Joseph Galloway (1731-1803), a prominent American loyalist during the Revolutionary War.
In the 18th century, the surname continued to appear in historical records, including mention of a William Gallaway who served as a captain in the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars. Another notable figure was Samuel Gallaway (1783-1851), an English mathematician and astronomer.
As the name spread worldwide, it underwent various spelling variations, such as Galloway, Gallawey, and Gallawe. Some prominent individuals bearing this surname in the 19th and early 20th centuries include Sir Ralph Gallaway (1833-1908), a British politician and member of parliament, and Roger Gallaway (1886-1962), an American artist and illustrator.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gallaway
Among Census respondents with the surname Gallaway, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.9%. The next largest groups are Black (9.8%) and Two or More Races (4.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Gallaway 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 Gallaway surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White79.9% · 1,919
- Black or African American9.8% · 235
- Two or more races4.9% · 117
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 94
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 19
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 19
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gallaway
Gallaway 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
#11,683
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,683
+93 bearers (+3.6%)
Per 100,000 0.91
Rank movement Down 463 places
2020
#12,345
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,403
-280 bearers (-10.4%)
Per 100,000 0.80
Rank movement Down 662 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,220 | 2,590 | 0.96 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,683 | 2,683 | 0.91 | +93 bearers (+3.6%) | Down 463 places |
| 2020 | #12,345 | 2,403 | 0.80 | -280 bearers (-10.4%) | Down 662 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 Gallaway 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 | #11,683 | #12,345 | -5.7% |
| Count | 2,683 | 2,403 | -10.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.91 | 0.80 | -11.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gallaway bearers went from 2,683 to 2,403 (-10.4% change). The surname moved down 662 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,683 to #12,345.
FAQ
Gallaway surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gallaway?
Name Census estimates that about 2,756 living Americans carry the surname Gallaway. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 124,367 residents.
How common is Gallaway?
Gallaway ranks #12,345 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.80 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 2,403 people with the surname Gallaway. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,756), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.8 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.80 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 Gallaway.
Has Gallaway become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gallaway went from 2,683 recorded bearers to 2,403. That is a decrease of 280 (-10.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,683 to #12,345.
What does the Census say about the background of Gallaway?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gallaway, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.9%. The next largest groups are Black (9.8%) and Two or More Races (4.9%). 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 Gallaway in the 2020 Census, accounting for 79.9% (1,919 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gallaway appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (79.9%), Black (9.8%), Two or More Races (4.9%). 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 Gallaway (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 Gallaway mean?
A Scottish and Irish topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a rocky hill or stony area. 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 Gallaway (0.80 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 share the surname Gallaway?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.