2000
#2,314
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,311
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.31
Uncommon Last name
Galvez
From the Galician surname Galvéz, derived from the Galician word galvo meaning "Galician," referring to an inhabitant of Galicia, Spain.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 24,313 Americans carry the last name Galvez. That puts it at #1,653 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 7.09 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 14,098 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Galvez 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 Galvez with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
24K
1 in 14,098
Census rank
#1,653
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
7.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
21K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 21,202 bearers of the surname Galvez in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 7.09 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1653rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Galvez, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 87.3%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (6.1%) and White (5.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Galvez
The surname Galvez is of Spanish origin, originating from the region of Galicia in northwestern Spain. It likely emerged during the medieval period when surnames became hereditary.
Galvez is derived from the Latin personal name "Gualterius" or "Gualterus," which evolved into the Spanish name Gualter or Galter. The suffix "-ez" indicates a patronymic surname, meaning "son of." Thus, Galvez originally referred to the son of Gualter or Galter.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Galvez can be found in the 13th-century Libro de las Behetrías de Castilla, a medieval document listing landholders in the Kingdom of Castile. The name is also present in various other historical records from the region.
In the 15th century, a notable figure bearing the surname Galvez was Alonso Galvez, a Spanish conquistador who participated in the conquest of the Canary Islands. Another prominent individual was Mariano Matías Galvez, a Spanish military officer and governor of Guatemala from 1779 to 1783.
During the 16th century, the name Galvez appeared in the Americas as Spanish colonization and exploration expanded. One famous bearer was José de Gálvez, a Spanish colonial administrator and Visitor-General of New Spain (present-day Mexico and parts of the United States) from 1765 to 1771.
Another notable figure was Bernardo de Gálvez y Madrid, a Spanish military leader and colonial governor who played a crucial role in the American Revolutionary War, aiding the American colonists against the British. He was born in 1746 in Macharaviaya, Spain, and died in 1786 in Mexico City.
In the 19th century, José Gálvez Montes de Oca, a Peruvian military leader and politician, served as the President of Peru from 1867 to 1868.
The surname Galvez has also been associated with various place names in Spain, such as Galvez de Soriente in the province of Guadalajara and Galvez de la Jara in the province of Toledo.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Galvez
Among Census respondents with the surname Galvez, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 87.3%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (6.1%) and White (5.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Galvez 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 Galvez surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino87.3% · 18,508
- Asian and Pacific Islander6.1% · 1,289
- White5.0% · 1,058
- Two or more races0.7% · 146
- Black or African American0.7% · 138
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 63
Timeline
Historical Census data for Galvez
Galvez 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
#1,754
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 20,425
+6,114 bearers (+42.7%)
Per 100,000 6.92
Rank movement Up 560 places
2020
#1,653
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 21,202
+777 bearers (+3.8%)
Per 100,000 7.09
Rank movement Up 101 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,314 | 14,311 | 5.31 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,754 | 20,425 | 6.92 | +6,114 bearers (+42.7%) | Up 560 places |
| 2020 | #1,653 | 21,202 | 7.09 | +777 bearers (+3.8%) | Up 101 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 Galvez 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 | #1,754 | #1,653 | 5.8% |
| Count | 20,425 | 21,202 | 3.8% |
| Per 100K | 6.92 | 7.09 | 2.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Galvez bearers went from 20,425 to 21,202 (+3.8% change). The surname moved up 101 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,754 to #1,653.
FAQ
Galvez surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Galvez?
Name Census estimates that about 24,313 living Americans carry the surname Galvez. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 14,098 residents.
How common is Galvez?
Galvez ranks #1,653 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 7.09 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 21,202 people with the surname Galvez. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (24,313), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 7.09 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 7.09 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 Galvez.
Has Galvez become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Galvez went from 20,425 recorded bearers to 21,202. That is an increase of 777 (+3.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #1,754 to #1,653.
What does the Census say about the background of Galvez?
Among Census respondents with the surname Galvez, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 87.3%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (6.1%) and White (5.0%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Galvez in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.3% (18,508 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Galvez appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (87.3%), Asian/Pacific Islander (6.1%), White (5.0%). 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 Galvez (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 Galvez mean?
From the Galician surname Galvéz, derived from the Galician word galvo meaning "Galician," referring to an inhabitant of Galicia, Spain. 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 Galvez (7.09 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 Galvez?
For a quick modern take, check how many people are called Galvez on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.