2000
#144,908
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Galpern
A surname likely of German origin meaning "one who is boastful or loud-mouthed".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 122 Americans carry the last name Galpern. That puts it at #152,339 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,809,462 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Galpern 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
122
1 in 2,809,462
Census rank
#152,339
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
106
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 106 bearers of the surname Galpern in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152339th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Galpern, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Galpern
The surname Galpern is believed to have originated in the German-speaking regions of Europe, likely during the medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Germanic words "gal" meaning "rooster" and "pern" meaning "seed" or "grain," suggesting that the name may have initially referred to someone who raised or traded poultry and grains.
One of the earliest known records of the name Galpern can be found in a 14th-century document from the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber in Bavaria, where a certain Hans Galpern is mentioned as a landowner and farmer. This indicates that the name was already established in the region by that time.
In the 16th century, a notable figure bearing the name Galpern was Johann Galpern, a Protestant theologian and author who was born in Nuremberg in 1520 and died in Wittenberg in 1584. He was a close associate of Martin Luther and played a role in the Protestant Reformation.
During the 17th century, the Galpern surname appears to have spread to other parts of Germany and neighboring regions. In 1632, a merchant named Christoph Galpern is recorded as having established a successful trading business in the city of Augsburg, dealing in various goods including grains and poultry products.
Another notable individual with the Galpern surname was Heinrich Galpern, a Lutheran minister who lived from 1674 to 1742 and served as the pastor of St. Peter's Church in Leipzig. He was known for his influential sermons and writings on religious topics.
In the 19th century, a German-born artist named Wilhelm Galpern (1819-1893) gained recognition for his landscape paintings, which often depicted rural scenes and bucolic settings reminiscent of the name's agricultural origins.
While the Galpern surname is not among the most common in Germany today, it has maintained its presence throughout the centuries and continues to carry the historical associations with farming, trade, and religious scholarship that were established by its earliest bearers.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Galpern
Among Census respondents with the surname Galpern, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Galpern 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 Galpern surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.8% · 92
- Hispanic or Latino8.5% · 9
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.8% · 4
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Galpern
Galpern 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
#158,432
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
-3 bearers (-2.9%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 13,524 places
2020
#152,339
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
+4 bearers (+3.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 6,093 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #144,908 | 105 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #158,432 | 102 | 0.03 | -3 bearers (-2.9%) | Down 13,524 places |
| 2020 | #152,339 | 106 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+3.9%) | Up 6,093 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 Galpern 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 | #158,432 | #152,339 | 3.8% |
| Count | 102 | 106 | 3.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 18.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Galpern bearers went from 102 to 106 (+3.9% change). The surname moved up 6,093 positions in the national ranking, going from #158,432 to #152,339.
FAQ
Galpern surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Galpern?
Name Census estimates that about 122 living Americans carry the surname Galpern. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,809,462 residents.
How common is Galpern?
Galpern ranks #152,339 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 106 people with the surname Galpern. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (122), 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 Galpern.
Has Galpern become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Galpern went from 102 recorded bearers to 106. That is an increase of 4 (+3.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #158,432 to #152,339.
What does the Census say about the background of Galpern?
Among Census respondents with the surname Galpern, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.8%). 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 Galpern in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.8% (92 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Galpern appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.8%), Hispanic (8.5%), Asian/Pacific Islander (3.8%). 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 Galpern (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 Galpern mean?
A surname likely of German origin meaning "one who is boastful or loud-mouthed". 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 Galpern (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 are called Galpern?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the last name Galpern at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.