2010
#145,220
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Gallt
A Welsh surname indicating someone who lived near or came from an area of wasteland or open uncultivated land.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 126 Americans carry the last name Gallt. That puts it at #149,446 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,720,273 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gallt 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
126
1 in 2,720,273
Census rank
#149,446
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
110
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 110 bearers of the surname Gallt in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 149446th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gallt, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.3%) and Hispanic (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gallt
The surname GALLT is of Welsh origin, deriving from the Old Welsh word 'gallt', meaning a wooded hill or a steep bank. It is believed to have originated as a topographic name, referring to someone who lived near or on a wooded hill or steep slope.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname GALLT can be traced back to the 13th century in various regions of Wales, particularly in the counties of Monmouthshire, Glamorgan, and Carmarthenshire. It is believed that some of the earliest bearers of this name were landowners or farmers who lived in areas with prominent wooded hills or steep banks.
In the late 13th century, a record in the Bury St. Edmunds Abbey Cartulary mentions a person named Griffith ap Gallt, indicating the use of the surname as a patronymic, meaning "son of Gallt". This suggests that the name was already well-established in Wales by that time.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the surname GALLT appeared in various legal documents and parish records across Wales. Notable bearers of the name from this period include John Gallt (c. 1550-1615), a Welsh clergyman and scholar who served as the Rector of Llanbedr-y-Fro in Monmouthshire.
In the 18th century, the surname GALLT spread beyond Wales as some families migrated to other parts of Britain and even to the American colonies. One prominent figure was William Gallt (1725-1803), a Welsh-born architect and surveyor who worked in London and designed several notable buildings, including the Royal Mint.
Another notable bearer of the surname was Evan Gallt (1792-1867), a Welsh poet and writer who contributed significantly to the preservation of Welsh language and culture. His works, such as the poem "Yr Awenydd" (The Muse), are regarded as important contributions to Welsh literature.
In the 19th century, the GALLT surname continued to be found across Wales and in other parts of Britain, as well as in the United States and other countries where Welsh immigrants settled. One notable figure from this period was David Gallt (1810-1884), a Welsh industrialist and entrepreneur who established successful mining and metallurgical operations in South Wales.
Throughout its history, the surname GALLT has remained closely tied to its Welsh roots and has been borne by individuals from various walks of life, including clergy, scholars, architects, poets, and industrialists, among others.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gallt
Among Census respondents with the surname Gallt, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.3%) and Hispanic (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Gallt 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 Gallt surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.8% · 101
- Two or more races7.3% · 8
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gallt
Gallt 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
#149,446
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
-4 bearers (-3.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,226 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #145,220 | 114 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #149,446 | 110 | 0.04 | -4 bearers (-3.5%) | Down 4,226 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 Gallt 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 | #145,220 | #149,446 | -2.9% |
| Count | 114 | 110 | -3.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gallt bearers went from 114 to 110 (-3.5% change). The surname moved down 4,226 positions in the national ranking, going from #145,220 to #149,446.
FAQ
Gallt surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gallt?
Name Census estimates that about 126 living Americans carry the surname Gallt. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,720,273 residents.
How common is Gallt?
Gallt ranks #149,446 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 110 people with the surname Gallt. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (126), 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 Gallt.
Has Gallt become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gallt went from 114 recorded bearers to 110. That is a decrease of 4 (-3.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #145,220 to #149,446.
What does the Census say about the background of Gallt?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gallt, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.3%) and Hispanic (0.9%). 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 Gallt in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.8% (101 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gallt appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.8%), Two or More Races (7.3%), Hispanic (0.9%). 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 Gallt (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 Gallt mean?
A Welsh surname indicating someone who lived near or came from an area of wasteland or open uncultivated land. 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 Gallt (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 people have the surname Gallt?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.