2000
#122,534
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 130
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Gallay
A surname of French origin meaning a gallant or chivalrous person.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 130 Americans carry the last name Gallay. That puts it at #147,221 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,636,572 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gallay 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
130
1 in 2,636,572
Census rank
#147,221
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
113
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 113 bearers of the surname Gallay in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147221st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gallay, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.8%) and Hispanic (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gallay
The surname Gallay has its origins in France, tracing back to the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the French word "galer," which means "to make merry" or "to amuse oneself." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone with a cheerful or jovial disposition.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Gallay can be found in the historic records of the Burgundy region of France, where a family bearing this surname resided in the 13th century. The name also appears in various medieval manuscripts and chronicles from other parts of France during this era.
In the 14th century, a notable figure named Jean Gallay (c. 1320-1390) was a prominent merchant and landowner in the town of Dijon, Burgundy. His name is mentioned in several local records and documents from that time, indicating the established presence of the Gallay surname in the region.
Another individual of note was Pierre Gallay (c. 1450-1518), a renowned Renaissance scholar and humanist from the city of Lyon. He authored several influential works on philosophy and literature, and his name is well-documented in academic circles of the time.
During the 16th century, the Gallay name appeared to have spread to other parts of Europe, including the Low Countries (present-day Belgium and the Netherlands). In 1572, a Flemish painter named Hendrick Gallay (c. 1545-1615) gained recognition for his landscape paintings and portraits.
Moving into the 17th century, the surname Gallay was also found in parts of Switzerland and Germany. One notable figure was Johann Gallay (1592-1653), a Swiss theologian and author who wrote extensively on religious matters and played a role in the Protestant Reformation.
In the 18th century, a French military officer named François Gallay (1728-1801) achieved distinction for his service in the French Revolutionary Wars. He rose through the ranks and was eventually appointed as a general, leading troops in several significant battles.
As the surname Gallay continued to spread across Europe, it also found its way to other parts of the world through migration and exploration. However, the earliest records and most prominent figures associated with this name can be traced back to its French origins in medieval and Renaissance-era Europe.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gallay
Among Census respondents with the surname Gallay, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.8%) and Hispanic (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Gallay 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 Gallay surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.5% · 109
- Two or more races1.8% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gallay
Gallay 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
#140,157
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
-11 bearers (-8.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 17,623 places
2020
#147,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
-6 bearers (-5.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 7,064 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #122,534 | 130 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #140,157 | 119 | 0.04 | -11 bearers (-8.5%) | Down 17,623 places |
| 2020 | #147,221 | 113 | 0.04 | -6 bearers (-5.0%) | Down 7,064 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 Gallay 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 | #140,157 | #147,221 | -5.0% |
| Count | 119 | 113 | -5.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gallay bearers went from 119 to 113 (-5.0% change). The surname moved down 7,064 positions in the national ranking, going from #140,157 to #147,221.
FAQ
Gallay surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gallay?
Name Census estimates that about 130 living Americans carry the surname Gallay. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,636,572 residents.
How common is Gallay?
Gallay ranks #147,221 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 113 people with the surname Gallay. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (130), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Gallay.
Has Gallay become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gallay went from 119 recorded bearers to 113. That is a decrease of 6 (-5.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #140,157 to #147,221.
What does the Census say about the background of Gallay?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gallay, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.8%) and Hispanic (0.9%). 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 Gallay in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.5% (109 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gallay appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.5%), Two or More Races (1.8%), Hispanic (0.9%). 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 Gallay (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 Gallay mean?
A surname of French origin meaning a gallant or chivalrous person. 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 Gallay (0.04 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 surname Gallay?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.