2000
#7,741
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,957
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.47
Rare Last name
Gallimore
An English habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "gravelly or stony lake."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,509 Americans carry the last name Gallimore. That puts it at #8,075 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.32 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 76,016 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gallimore 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 Gallimore with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.5K
1 in 76,016
Census rank
#8,075
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,932 bearers of the surname Gallimore in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.32 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8075th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gallimore, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.2%. The next largest groups are Black (21.6%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gallimore
The surname Gallimore has its origins in England, with the earliest records dating back to the late 13th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old English words "Gal" or "Gall," meaning "a wild or strange person," and "mor," meaning "a moor or marsh." This suggests that the name may have been initially used to describe someone who lived in a marshy or swampy area.
One of the earliest known references to the Gallimore name can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1275, where it is recorded as "Galymore." This spelling variation highlights the fluid nature of surnames during that time period, as they were often subject to regional dialects and the preferences of individual scribes.
The Gallimore family is believed to have originated in the county of Worcestershire, particularly in the areas around the city of Worcester and the surrounding villages. Several medieval records, such as the Lay Subsidy Rolls of 1327 and the Poll Tax Returns of 1379, contain entries for individuals bearing the Gallimore surname in these regions.
In the 16th century, a prominent figure named Thomas Gallimore (c. 1520 - 1585) was a wealthy landowner and member of the gentry in Worcestershire. He is mentioned in several contemporary documents, including the Worcestershire Feet of Fines from 1569, which records his purchase of land in the village of Elmley Lovett.
Another notable Gallimore was John Gallimore (c. 1640 - 1701), a clergyman and author who served as the rector of Hartlebury, Worcestershire. He wrote several theological works, including "A Treatise on the Immortality of the Soul" (1677) and "A Discourse on the Resurrection of the Body" (1682).
In the 18th century, the Gallimore family had spread to other parts of England, with records showing individuals bearing the surname in counties such as Shropshire, Staffordshire, and Warwickshire. One example is William Gallimore (1725 - 1804), a successful merchant and landowner in Staffordshire, who is mentioned in the Staffordshire Quarter Sessions Rolls of 1778.
As the centuries progressed, the Gallimore name continued to be found throughout England, with various branches of the family establishing themselves in different regions. Notable individuals include Sir John Gallimore (1871 - 1949), a British diplomat and civil servant who served as the Governor of Bermuda from 1932 to 1935, and Sir Henry Gallimore (1889 - 1975), a renowned architect responsible for designing several iconic buildings in London, including the Royal Masonic Hospital.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gallimore
Among Census respondents with the surname Gallimore, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.2%. The next largest groups are Black (21.6%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Gallimore 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 Gallimore surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White70.2% · 2,760
- Black or African American21.6% · 851
- Two or more races4.3% · 171
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 117
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 19
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 14
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gallimore
Gallimore 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
#7,894
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,195
+238 bearers (+6.0%)
Per 100,000 1.42
Rank movement Down 153 places
2020
#8,075
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,932
-263 bearers (-6.3%)
Per 100,000 1.32
Rank movement Down 181 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,741 | 3,957 | 1.47 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,894 | 4,195 | 1.42 | +238 bearers (+6.0%) | Down 153 places |
| 2020 | #8,075 | 3,932 | 1.32 | -263 bearers (-6.3%) | Down 181 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 Gallimore 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 | #7,894 | #8,075 | -2.3% |
| Count | 4,195 | 3,932 | -6.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.42 | 1.32 | -7.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gallimore bearers went from 4,195 to 3,932 (-6.3% change). The surname moved down 181 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,894 to #8,075.
FAQ
Gallimore surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gallimore?
Name Census estimates that about 4,509 living Americans carry the surname Gallimore. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 76,016 residents.
How common is Gallimore?
Gallimore ranks #8,075 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.32 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 3,932 people with the surname Gallimore. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,509), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.32 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.32 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 Gallimore.
Has Gallimore become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gallimore went from 4,195 recorded bearers to 3,932. That is a decrease of 263 (-6.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,894 to #8,075.
What does the Census say about the background of Gallimore?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gallimore, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.2%. The next largest groups are Black (21.6%) and Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Gallimore in the 2020 Census, accounting for 70.2% (2,760 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gallimore appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (70.2%), Black (21.6%), Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Gallimore (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 Gallimore mean?
An English habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "gravelly or stony lake." 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 Gallimore (1.32 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 Gallimore?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.