2000
#59,611
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 317
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.12
Very Rare Last name
Galmore
Derived from Gaelic elements meaning "rocky" and "large".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 498 Americans carry the last name Galmore. That puts it at #51,779 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.15 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 688,262 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Galmore 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
498
1 in 688,262
Census rank
#51,779
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
434
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 434 bearers of the surname Galmore in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.15 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 51779th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Galmore, the largest self-reported group is Black at 87.1%. The next largest groups are White (8.1%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Galmore
The surname Galmore has its origins in the Scottish Highlands, dating back to the early medieval period. It is believed to derive from the Gaelic words "gall," meaning "stranger" or "foreigner," and "mor," meaning "large" or "great." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone of significant stature or reputation who was considered an outsider in a particular community.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Galmore can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which document the swearing of fealty to King Edward I of England by Scottish nobles and landowners. This suggests that the Galmore family may have held a position of prominence in the region during the late 13th century.
The Galmore name has been associated with various locations throughout Scotland, particularly in the Highlands and Hebrides islands. For instance, the Galmore Islands, a small group of islets off the coast of Argyll and Bute, may have derived their name from the Galmore family or played a role in the origins of the surname.
Notable individuals bearing the Galmore surname include:
1. Sir John Galmore (c. 1520-1587), a Scottish landowner and politician who served as a Member of the Parliament of Scotland during the reign of Mary, Queen of Scots.
2. Angus Galmore (1650-1718), a Scottish philosopher and educator who taught at the University of Edinburgh and authored several influential works on moral philosophy.
3. Elizabeth Galmore (1772-1848), a renowned Scottish poet and writer whose works celebrated the beauty of the Highlands and its people.
4. Robert Galmore (1810-1892), a Scottish-born engineer and industrialist who played a pivotal role in the development of steam engine technology in the United States during the 19th century.
5. Iain Galmore (1920-2005), a prominent Scottish artist known for his vivid landscapes and portraits, many of which depicted scenes from the Highlands and Islands.
Throughout its history, the Galmore surname has undergone various spellings and variations, such as Galmor, Gallmore, and Gallemor, reflecting the regional dialects and linguistic influences of different areas of Scotland.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Galmore
Among Census respondents with the surname Galmore, the largest self-reported group is Black at 87.1%. The next largest groups are White (8.1%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Galmore 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 Galmore surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American87.1% · 378
- White8.1% · 35
- Two or more races2.5% · 11
- Hispanic or Latino1.4% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.2% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Galmore
Galmore 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
#65,066
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 305
-12 bearers (-3.8%)
Per 100,000 0.10
Rank movement Down 5,455 places
2020
#51,779
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 434
+129 bearers (+42.3%)
Per 100,000 0.15
Rank movement Up 13,287 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #59,611 | 317 | 0.12 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #65,066 | 305 | 0.10 | -12 bearers (-3.8%) | Down 5,455 places |
| 2020 | #51,779 | 434 | 0.15 | +129 bearers (+42.3%) | Up 13,287 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 Galmore 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 | #65,066 | #51,779 | 20.4% |
| Count | 305 | 434 | 42.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.10 | 0.15 | 45.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Galmore bearers went from 305 to 434 (+42.3% change). The surname moved up 13,287 positions in the national ranking, going from #65,066 to #51,779.
FAQ
Galmore surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Galmore?
Name Census estimates that about 498 living Americans carry the surname Galmore. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 688,262 residents.
How common is Galmore?
Galmore ranks #51,779 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.15 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 434 people with the surname Galmore. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (498), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.15 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.15 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 Galmore.
Has Galmore become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Galmore went from 305 recorded bearers to 434. That is an increase of 129 (+42.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #65,066 to #51,779.
What does the Census say about the background of Galmore?
Among Census respondents with the surname Galmore, the largest self-reported group is Black at 87.1%. The next largest groups are White (8.1%) and Two or More Races (2.5%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Galmore in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.1% (378 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Galmore appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (87.1%), White (8.1%), Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Galmore (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 Galmore mean?
Derived from Gaelic elements meaning "rocky" and "large". 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 Galmore (0.15 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 Galmore?
Want to know how many people have the last name Galmore? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.