2000
#36,045
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 588
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.22
Very Rare Last name
Gallery
A surname derived from the French word for gallery, possibly denoting someone who lived or worked near one.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 643 Americans carry the last name Gallery. That puts it at #41,765 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.19 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 533,055 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gallery 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 Gallery with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
643
1 in 533,055
Census rank
#41,765
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
561
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 561 bearers of the surname Gallery in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.19 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 41765th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gallery, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.8%. The next largest groups are Black (7.8%) and Hispanic (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gallery
The surname Gallery originated in England during the late Middle Ages, derived from the Old French word "galerie," which referred to a long, covered passage or corridor. This term traces its roots back to the Late Latin "galeria," meaning a porch or gallery.
The name likely emerged as a descriptive term for individuals who lived near or were associated with such a structure, perhaps a gallery within a castle, manor house, or other prominent building. Early records show the surname spelled variously as Galerie, Galery, and Gallerie.
One of the earliest known references to the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Warwickshire from 1195, which mention a Robert de la Galerie. This suggests the surname was already in use by the late 12th century.
In the 13th century, a John de la Galerie is recorded as a landholder in the county of Oxfordshire, indicating the surname's association with landed gentry during this period.
The Hundred Rolls of 1273, a census-like survey of landholders in England, includes entries for individuals with the surname Gallery or variations thereof, such as Willelmus de la Galerie in Berkshire and Johannes de la Galerie in Lincolnshire.
The Gascon Rolls of 1242-1293, records of English administration in the Duchy of Gascony, mention a Robert de la Galerie who served as a royal messenger.
Notable historical figures with the surname Gallery include Sir John Gallery (c.1545-1628), an English politician and Member of Parliament for Arundel during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.
Another prominent individual was Thomas Gallery (c.1605-1676), an English clergyman who served as the Dean of Winchester Cathedral in the mid-17th century.
In the 18th century, Edward Gallery (1713-1776) was a British Army officer who fought in the Seven Years' War and later served as Lieutenant Governor of Newfoundland.
The 19th century saw the birth of John Gallery (1842-1925), an English cricketer who played for the Marylebone Cricket Club and Middlesex County Cricket Club.
Lastly, Charles Gallery (1865-1935) was a British architect known for designing several notable buildings in London, including the former British Medical Association headquarters on Strand.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gallery
Among Census respondents with the surname Gallery, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.8%. The next largest groups are Black (7.8%) and Hispanic (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Gallery 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 Gallery surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.8% · 476
- Black or African American7.8% · 44
- Hispanic or Latino4.1% · 23
- Two or more races2.9% · 16
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gallery
Gallery 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
#36,477
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 613
+25 bearers (+4.3%)
Per 100,000 0.21
Rank movement Down 432 places
2020
#41,765
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 561
-52 bearers (-8.5%)
Per 100,000 0.19
Rank movement Down 5,288 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #36,045 | 588 | 0.22 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #36,477 | 613 | 0.21 | +25 bearers (+4.3%) | Down 432 places |
| 2020 | #41,765 | 561 | 0.19 | -52 bearers (-8.5%) | Down 5,288 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 Gallery 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 | #36,477 | #41,765 | -14.5% |
| Count | 613 | 561 | -8.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.21 | 0.19 | -10.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gallery bearers went from 613 to 561 (-8.5% change). The surname moved down 5,288 positions in the national ranking, going from #36,477 to #41,765.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Gallery
FAQ
Gallery surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gallery?
Name Census estimates that about 643 living Americans carry the surname Gallery. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 533,055 residents.
How common is Gallery?
Gallery ranks #41,765 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.19 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 561 people with the surname Gallery. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (643), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.19 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.19 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 Gallery.
Has Gallery become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gallery went from 613 recorded bearers to 561. That is a decrease of 52 (-8.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #36,477 to #41,765.
What does the Census say about the background of Gallery?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gallery, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.8%. The next largest groups are Black (7.8%) and Hispanic (4.1%). 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 Gallery in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.8% (476 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gallery appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.8%), Black (7.8%), Hispanic (4.1%). 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 Gallery (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 Gallery mean?
A surname derived from the French word for gallery, possibly denoting someone who lived or worked near one. 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 Gallery (0.19 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 Gallery?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.