2000
#12,127
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,359
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.87
Rare Last name
Gallman
An occupational surname referring to a messenger or courier, derived from the Middle English word "gale" meaning "to sing out."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,564 Americans carry the last name Gallman. That puts it at #13,123 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.75 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 133,680 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gallman 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
2.6K
1 in 133,680
Census rank
#13,123
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,236 bearers of the surname Gallman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.75 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13123rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gallman, the largest self-reported group is White at 50.3%. The next largest groups are Black (42.1%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gallman
The surname Gallman is believed to have originated in Germany, likely during the medieval period. It is derived from the German word "gallen," which means "to bark" or "to howl," suggesting a possible connection to a person's occupation or personality trait related to loud or boisterous behavior.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Gallman can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Anhaltinus, a collection of historical documents from the Anhalt region of Germany, dating back to the 13th century. The name appeared in a document from 1276, where a certain "Henricus Gallman" was mentioned as a witness to a land transaction.
In the 15th century, records from the city of Nuremberg in Bavaria mention a "Johannes Gallman," who was a member of the local guild of bakers. This suggests that the name may have been associated with various trades or professions during that time period.
The name Gallman also appears in several historical manuscripts and records from other parts of Germany, such as the Hanseatic League archives in Lübeck, where a merchant named "Christoph Gallman" is mentioned in a document from 1512.
One notable figure with the surname Gallman was Johann Gallman (1592-1654), a German theologian and author who served as a pastor in the town of Zschopau in Saxony. His published works include religious treatises and sermons.
Another individual of historical significance was Friedrich Gallman (1783-1861), a German author and poet who was born in Nuremberg. He is best known for his collection of poems titled "Gedichte" (Poems), published in 1825.
In the 19th century, a prominent figure with the surname Gallman was Carl Gallman (1819-1892), a German-American businessman and entrepreneur who founded the Gallman Brewing Company in New York City. The brewery was a successful establishment and contributed to the city's thriving beer industry during that era.
While the surname Gallman has its roots in Germany, it has since spread to other parts of the world, including the United States and other countries, due to immigration and migration patterns over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gallman
Among Census respondents with the surname Gallman, the largest self-reported group is White at 50.3%. The next largest groups are Black (42.1%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Gallman 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 Gallman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White50.3% · 1,124
- Black or African American42.1% · 941
- Two or more races4.6% · 102
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 57
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gallman
Gallman 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
#11,273
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,804
+445 bearers (+18.9%)
Per 100,000 0.95
Rank movement Up 854 places
2020
#13,123
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,236
-568 bearers (-20.3%)
Per 100,000 0.75
Rank movement Down 1,850 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,127 | 2,359 | 0.87 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,273 | 2,804 | 0.95 | +445 bearers (+18.9%) | Up 854 places |
| 2020 | #13,123 | 2,236 | 0.75 | -568 bearers (-20.3%) | Down 1,850 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 Gallman 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 | #11,273 | #13,123 | -16.4% |
| Count | 2,804 | 2,236 | -20.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.95 | 0.75 | -21.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gallman bearers went from 2,804 to 2,236 (-20.3% change). The surname moved down 1,850 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,273 to #13,123.
FAQ
Gallman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gallman?
Name Census estimates that about 2,564 living Americans carry the surname Gallman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 133,680 residents.
How common is Gallman?
Gallman ranks #13,123 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.75 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 2,236 people with the surname Gallman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,564), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.75 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.75 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 Gallman.
Has Gallman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gallman went from 2,804 recorded bearers to 2,236. That is a decrease of 568 (-20.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,273 to #13,123.
What does the Census say about the background of Gallman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gallman, the largest self-reported group is White at 50.3%. The next largest groups are Black (42.1%) and Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Gallman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 50.3% (1,124 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gallman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (50.3%), Black (42.1%), Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Gallman (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 Gallman mean?
An occupational surname referring to a messenger or courier, derived from the Middle English word "gale" meaning "to sing out." 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 Gallman (0.75 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 share the surname Gallman?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.