2000
#14,236
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,934
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.72
Rare Last name
Galle
A French toponymic surname indicating someone from the town of Galle in Normandy or a rocky crag.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,181 Americans carry the last name Galle. That puts it at #14,931 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.64 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 157,155 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Galle 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
2.2K
1 in 157,155
Census rank
#14,931
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,902 bearers of the surname Galle in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.64 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14931st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Galle, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Black (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Galle
The surname Galle has its origins in France, dating back to the early 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old French word "galle," meaning "oak gall," which was used to produce ink and dyes. This suggests that the name may have been associated with those involved in the production or trade of these materials.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in a manuscript from the year 1264, which mentions a person named "Guillelmus de Galle" in the region of Normandy, France. The name is also found in various other historical records from the same period, indicating its widespread use across different parts of the country.
During the 14th century, the name Galle appeared in the records of the city of Paris, where it was linked to several notable individuals. One such person was Jean Galle, a prominent merchant and member of the guild of weavers, who lived from approximately 1320 to 1385.
As the centuries progressed, the name Galle spread across Europe, with various spellings emerging in different regions. In Germany, for instance, the name was sometimes written as "Gallen," while in the Netherlands, it took the form of "Galle" or "Gallen."
Notable figures throughout history who bore the surname Galle include:
1. Philippe Galle (1537-1612), a renowned Flemish printmaker and publisher, known for his intricate engravings and collaborations with renowned artists of his time.
2. André Galle (1761-1844), a French painter and engraver, who was notable for his landscapes and historical scenes.
3. Émile Galle (1846-1904), a French artist and pioneer of the Art Nouveau movement, renowned for his innovative glasswork and furniture designs.
4. Gerrit Galle (1628-1677), a Dutch Golden Age painter, known for his still life paintings and genre scenes.
5. Theodoor Galle (1571-1633), a Flemish engraver and print publisher, who played a significant role in disseminating the works of prominent artists such as Rubens and Van Dyck.
The surname Galle has also been associated with various place names throughout history, including Galle, a coastal city in Sri Lanka, and Galle, a village in the Netherlands.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Galle
Among Census respondents with the surname Galle, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Black (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Galle 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 Galle surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.0% · 1,692
- Hispanic or Latino4.3% · 82
- Black or African American3.7% · 71
- Two or more races1.7% · 32
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 19
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Galle
Galle 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
#12,101
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,575
+641 bearers (+33.1%)
Per 100,000 0.87
Rank movement Up 2,135 places
2020
#14,931
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,902
-673 bearers (-26.1%)
Per 100,000 0.64
Rank movement Down 2,830 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,236 | 1,934 | 0.72 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,101 | 2,575 | 0.87 | +641 bearers (+33.1%) | Up 2,135 places |
| 2020 | #14,931 | 1,902 | 0.64 | -673 bearers (-26.1%) | Down 2,830 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 Galle 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 | #12,101 | #14,931 | -23.4% |
| Count | 2,575 | 1,902 | -26.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.87 | 0.64 | -26.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Galle bearers went from 2,575 to 1,902 (-26.1% change). The surname moved down 2,830 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,101 to #14,931.
FAQ
Galle surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Galle?
Name Census estimates that about 2,181 living Americans carry the surname Galle. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 157,155 residents.
How common is Galle?
Galle ranks #14,931 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.64 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 1,902 people with the surname Galle. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,181), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.64 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.64 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 Galle.
Has Galle become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Galle went from 2,575 recorded bearers to 1,902. That is a decrease of 673 (-26.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,101 to #14,931.
What does the Census say about the background of Galle?
Among Census respondents with the surname Galle, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Black (3.7%). 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 Galle in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.0% (1,692 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Galle appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.0%), Hispanic (4.3%), Black (3.7%). 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 Galle (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 Galle mean?
A French toponymic surname indicating someone from the town of Galle in Normandy or a rocky crag. 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 Galle (0.64 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 common is the surname Galle?
If you just want to know how many Americans have the surname Galle, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.