Find out how popular the last name Gallegos is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Gallegos.

Gallegos, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Gallegos surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Gallegos in America

Gallegos is the 486th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Gallegos surname appeared 68,373 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 23 people would have the surname Gallegos.

We can also compare 2010 data for Gallegos to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Gallegos

The surname Gallegos has its origins in Spain, specifically in the region of Galicia. It emerged during the medieval period, likely between the 8th and 12th centuries. The name is derived from the Latin word "Gallaeci," which referred to the Celtic tribes that inhabited the northwestern region of the Iberian Peninsula, known as Gallaecia in ancient times.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname Gallegos can be traced back to the 10th century, when it appeared in various historical documents from the Kingdom of Galicia. One notable example is the Codex Calixtinus, a 12th-century manuscript that mentions individuals with the surname Gallegos in connection with the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela.

As the name suggests, Gallegos originally referred to individuals hailing from the region of Galicia, which was then part of the Kingdom of León. The surname may have originated from a specific place name or location within Galicia, such as a town, village, or even a geographical feature.

Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname Gallegos. One of the earliest recorded figures was Gonzalo Gallegos, a 13th-century Galician nobleman and military leader who played a significant role in the Reconquista against the Moors. Another prominent figure was Juan Gallegos, a 15th-century Spanish painter known for his religious works, including altarpieces and retablos.

In the 16th century, Fernán Gallegos, a Spanish sailor and explorer, accompanied Hernán Cortés on his expeditions to the Americas and participated in the conquest of Mexico. Around the same time, Rodrigo Gallegos served as a judge and magistrate in the Spanish colonial administration in Peru.

During the 17th century, Pedro Gallegos, a Franciscan friar, gained recognition for his missionary work among the indigenous populations of New Spain (present-day Mexico and the southwestern United States). He is credited with establishing several missions and converting numerous individuals to Christianity.

The surname Gallegos has been widely dispersed across various regions due to Spanish colonization and migration. While its roots can be traced back to Galicia, it has become a common surname in countries with significant Spanish heritage, such as Mexico, Argentina, and other parts of Latin America.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Gallegos

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Gallegos.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Gallegos was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Gallegos has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Gallegos was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Gallegos, please contact us.

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