2000
#1,560
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 21,149
First available Census row
Per 100,000 7.84
Uncommon Last name
Gallo
An Italian occupational surname referring to a rooster keeper or breeder.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 24,897 Americans carry the last name Gallo. That puts it at #1,610 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 7.26 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 13,767 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gallo 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 Gallo with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
25K
1 in 13,767
Census rank
#1,610
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
7.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
22K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 21,711 bearers of the surname Gallo in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 7.26 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1610th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gallo, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (23.8%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gallo
The surname Gallo originated in Italy and is derived from the Italian word "gallo" meaning "rooster" or "cock". It likely arose as a nickname for someone who exhibited cocky or strutting behavior, or perhaps for someone who bred or raised roosters.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Gallo surname can be found in the 13th century Italian epic poem "Divina Commedia" by Dante Alighieri, where a character named Gallo is mentioned. The name was also present in the Florentine tax records of the 14th century.
In the 15th century, the Gallo family was prominent in the city of Genoa, with members holding important positions in the government and military. Nicolò Gallo (1435-1509) was a renowned admiral and explorer who led several expeditions for the Republic of Genoa.
The Gallo surname is also associated with the town of Galluccio in the province of Caserta, Campania. It is believed that the name originated from this location, which was once known as "Galluzzo" or "Galluccio" in ancient times.
One of the most famous individuals with the Gallo surname was Francesco Gallo (1672-1750), an Italian painter and architect who was active in Naples during the Baroque period. His works can be found in various churches and palaces throughout the city.
Another notable bearer of the name was Agostino Gallo (1499-1570), an Italian scholar and naturalist who wrote extensively on the flora and fauna of Sicily. His work "Le Venti Giornate dell'Agricoltura" was a significant contribution to the study of agriculture in the 16th century.
In the 19th century, Giuseppe Gallo (1807-1857) was an Italian patriot and revolutionary who played a pivotal role in the Italian unification movement, fighting alongside Giuseppe Garibaldi in the Expedition of the Thousand.
Throughout history, the Gallo surname has been associated with various noble families in Italy, particularly in the regions of Genoa, Naples, and Sicily. While the name has spread to other parts of the world due to immigration, its roots can be traced back to the Italian peninsula and the cultural and historical significance it holds there.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gallo
Among Census respondents with the surname Gallo, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (23.8%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Gallo 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 Gallo surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White71.9% · 15,606
- Hispanic or Latino23.8% · 5,172
- Two or more races1.8% · 386
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.4% · 312
- Black or African American1.0% · 215
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 20
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gallo
Gallo 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
#1,560
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 23,056
+1,907 bearers (+9.0%)
Per 100,000 7.82
Rank movement No rank change
2020
#1,610
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 21,711
-1,345 bearers (-5.8%)
Per 100,000 7.26
Rank movement Down 50 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,560 | 21,149 | 7.84 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,560 | 23,056 | 7.82 | +1,907 bearers (+9.0%) | No rank change |
| 2020 | #1,610 | 21,711 | 7.26 | -1,345 bearers (-5.8%) | Down 50 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 Gallo 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 | #1,560 | #1,610 | -3.2% |
| Count | 23,056 | 21,711 | -5.8% |
| Per 100K | 7.82 | 7.26 | -7.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gallo bearers went from 23,056 to 21,711 (-5.8% change). The surname moved down 50 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,560 to #1,610.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Gallo
FAQ
Gallo surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gallo?
Name Census estimates that about 24,897 living Americans carry the surname Gallo. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 13,767 residents.
How common is Gallo?
Gallo ranks #1,610 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 7.26 per 100,000 residents, which is about 7 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 21,711 people with the surname Gallo. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (24,897), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 7.26 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 7.26 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 7 of them to have the surname Gallo.
Has Gallo become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gallo went from 23,056 recorded bearers to 21,711. That is a decrease of 1,345 (-5.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,560 to #1,610.
What does the Census say about the background of Gallo?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gallo, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (23.8%) and Two or More Races (1.8%). 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 Gallo in the 2020 Census, accounting for 71.9% (15,606 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gallo appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (71.9%), Hispanic (23.8%), Two or More Races (1.8%). 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 Gallo (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 Gallo mean?
An Italian occupational surname referring to a rooster keeper or breeder. 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 Gallo (7.26 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 Gallo?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans have the surname Gallo at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.