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

Galles, 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 Galles surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Galles in America

Galles is the 19865th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Galles surname appeared 1,353 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Galles.

We can also compare 2010 data for Galles 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 Galles

The surname Galles originated in Spain during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Spanish word "gallo," which means "rooster." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who raised or kept roosters, perhaps a farmer or poultry breeder.

The earliest known records of the Galles surname date back to the 13th century in the Catalonia region of northeastern Spain. One notable figure from this time period was Ramon de Galles, a prominent landowner and knight who lived in the town of Girona in the late 1200s.

As the name spread throughout Spain and beyond, variations in spelling began to emerge, including Gallas, Galle, and Gali. These different forms can be found in historical documents and records from various regions.

In the 14th century, the Galles surname appeared in the court records of the Kingdom of Aragon, which encompassed parts of modern-day Spain and France. One notable individual from this era was Juan de Galles, a merchant and trader who was involved in the lucrative wool trade between Aragon and Italy.

By the 16th century, the Galles name had made its way to the Americas as Spanish explorers and settlers arrived in the New World. One of the earliest recorded individuals with this surname in the Americas was Diego de Galles, a soldier and explorer who participated in the conquest of Mexico alongside Hernán Cortés in the 1520s.

Other notable figures bearing the Galles surname include:

1. Jerónimo de Galles (1575-1638), a Spanish painter and artist who worked in Seville during the Golden Age of Spanish art.

2. Pedro de Galles (1610-1679), a Spanish military officer and commander who served in the Spanish-Portuguese War of Restoration.

3. María de Galles (1670-1744), a Spanish nun and mystic who founded a convent in Valencia and was renowned for her piety and spiritual writings.

4. Antonio de Galles (1725-1792), a Spanish architect and engineer who designed several churches and public buildings in Madrid and other cities across Spain.

5. Juana de Galles (1820-1898), a Spanish educator and philanthropist who established several schools for underprivileged children in Barcelona and worked to improve educational opportunities for girls.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Galles

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

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 Galles 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 Galles 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 Galles was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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