2000
#9,645
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,093
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.15
Rare Last name
Galli
Derived from the Italian word for "rooster," likely referring to someone who raised or sold chickens or acted like a rooster.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,237 Americans carry the last name Galli. That puts it at #10,795 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.94 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 105,886 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Galli 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 Galli with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.2K
1 in 105,886
Census rank
#10,795
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,823 bearers of the surname Galli in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.94 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10795th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Galli, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.5%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Galli
The surname Galli has its origins in Italy, where it first emerged in the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Italian word "gallo," which means "rooster" or "cockerel." This nickname surname was likely given to someone who had a resemblance to the bird or perhaps exhibited rooster-like behavior.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Galli can be found in the Codice Diplomatico della Lombardia Medievale, a collection of medieval documents from the region of Lombardy, dating back to the 12th century. This suggests that the name was already in use by that time in northern Italy.
In the 13th century, a notable figure named Galli Bibiena (c. 1250-1320) was a renowned architect and sculptor from the city of Bibbiena, near Arezzo in Tuscany. He is credited with designing several churches and public buildings in the region.
During the Renaissance, the Galli family of Florence produced several notable artists and intellectuals. One of the most famous was Giovanni Battista Galli (1519-1575), a painter and architect who worked on various projects in Florence and Rome.
In the 17th century, the composer Vincenzo Galli (1607-1668) was a prominent figure in the musical scene of Rome. He composed sacred music and served as the maestro di cappella at several churches in the city.
Another notable individual with the surname Galli was Giuseppe Galli (1701-1781), an Italian jurist and legal scholar from Milan. He authored several influential works on civil and canon law, which were widely studied throughout Europe.
As the name spread beyond Italy, it also took on variations in spelling and pronunciation in different regions. For example, in France, the surname became Gallie or Galie, while in Germany, it was sometimes rendered as Gall or Galle.
Overall, the surname Galli has a rich history rooted in Italy, with connections to various fields such as architecture, art, music, and law. Despite its widespread use, the name's origins can be traced back to the humble rooster, a testament to the whimsical nature of surname formation in the Middle Ages.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Galli
Among Census respondents with the surname Galli, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.5%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Galli 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 Galli surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.5% · 2,470
- Hispanic or Latino7.5% · 212
- Two or more races2.8% · 78
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 33
- Black or African American0.7% · 21
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Galli
Galli 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
#9,570
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,396
+303 bearers (+9.8%)
Per 100,000 1.15
Rank movement Up 75 places
2020
#10,795
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,823
-573 bearers (-16.9%)
Per 100,000 0.94
Rank movement Down 1,225 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,645 | 3,093 | 1.15 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,570 | 3,396 | 1.15 | +303 bearers (+9.8%) | Up 75 places |
| 2020 | #10,795 | 2,823 | 0.94 | -573 bearers (-16.9%) | Down 1,225 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 Galli 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 | #9,570 | #10,795 | -12.8% |
| Count | 3,396 | 2,823 | -16.9% |
| Per 100K | 1.15 | 0.94 | -17.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Galli bearers went from 3,396 to 2,823 (-16.9% change). The surname moved down 1,225 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,570 to #10,795.
FAQ
Galli surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Galli?
Name Census estimates that about 3,237 living Americans carry the surname Galli. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 105,886 residents.
How common is Galli?
Galli ranks #10,795 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.94 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 2,823 people with the surname Galli. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,237), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.94 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.94 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 Galli.
Has Galli become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Galli went from 3,396 recorded bearers to 2,823. That is a decrease of 573 (-16.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,570 to #10,795.
What does the Census say about the background of Galli?
Among Census respondents with the surname Galli, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.5%) and Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Galli in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.5% (2,470 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Galli appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.5%), Hispanic (7.5%), Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Galli (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 Galli mean?
Derived from the Italian word for "rooster," likely referring to someone who raised or sold chickens or acted like a rooster. 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 Galli (0.94 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 are called Galli?
Want to know how common the surname Galli is? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.