2010
#131,379
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 129
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Gallic
A surname denoting someone from Gaul or of Gaulish descent.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 139 Americans carry the last name Gallic. That puts it at #141,309 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,465,859 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gallic 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
139
1 in 2,465,859
Census rank
#141,309
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
121
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 121 bearers of the surname Gallic in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 141309th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gallic, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.9%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (2.5%) and Hispanic (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gallic
The surname Gallic has its origins in France and can be traced back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old French word "gal," meaning "bravery" or "gallantry." This surname was likely given to someone who exhibited brave or gallant behavior, particularly in combat or during military service.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Gallic can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Gallic" in the county of Normandy, France. This suggests that the name had already gained recognition and was in use by the time of the Norman Conquest of England in 1066.
During the Middle Ages, the surname Gallic was prevalent in various regions of France, including Normandy, Brittany, and the Île-de-France. It was also found in parts of what is now Belgium and Luxembourg, reflecting the movement of people during that period.
Notable individuals with the surname Gallic throughout history include Guillaume Gallic (1510-1563), a French Protestant theologian and reformer who played a significant role in the French Reformation. Another prominent figure was Jean-Baptiste Gallic (1736-1794), a French architect who designed several notable buildings in Paris, including the Théâtre de l'Odéon.
In the literary realm, Rene Gallic (1911-1986) was a French novelist and screenwriter, best known for his novel "The Enchanted Wanderer," which was later adapted into a film. Emile Gallic (1822-1888), on the other hand, was a French historian and archaeologist who made significant contributions to the study of ancient Roman history and culture.
Another individual worth mentioning is Pierre Gallic (1580-1646), a French Jesuit missionary who traveled to Canada and played a crucial role in the early evangelization efforts among the Indigenous peoples of New France.
While the surname Gallic has French origins, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly through migration and colonization. However, its roots can be traced back to the medieval period in France, where it gained recognition as a surname associated with bravery and gallantry.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gallic
Among Census respondents with the surname Gallic, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.9%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (2.5%) and Hispanic (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Gallic 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 Gallic surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.9% · 116
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.5% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gallic
Gallic appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#141,309
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
-8 bearers (-6.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 9,930 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #131,379 | 129 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #141,309 | 121 | 0.04 | -8 bearers (-6.2%) | Down 9,930 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 Gallic 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 | #131,379 | #141,309 | -7.6% |
| Count | 129 | 121 | -6.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 1.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gallic bearers went from 129 to 121 (-6.2% change). The surname moved down 9,930 positions in the national ranking, going from #131,379 to #141,309.
FAQ
Gallic surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gallic?
Name Census estimates that about 139 living Americans carry the surname Gallic. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,465,859 residents.
How common is Gallic?
Gallic ranks #141,309 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 121 people with the surname Gallic. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (139), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Gallic.
Has Gallic become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gallic went from 129 recorded bearers to 121. That is a decrease of 8 (-6.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #131,379 to #141,309.
What does the Census say about the background of Gallic?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gallic, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.9%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (2.5%) and Hispanic (1.7%). 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 Gallic in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.9% (116 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gallic appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.9%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.5%), Hispanic (1.7%). 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 Gallic (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 Gallic mean?
A surname denoting someone from Gaul or of Gaulish descent. 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 Gallic (0.04 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 Americans have the surname Gallic?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.