2000
#14,363
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,911
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.71
Rare Last name
Ganley
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Ó Gamhnáin," meaning "descendant of Gamhnán," a personal name meaning "calf."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,065 Americans carry the last name Ganley. That puts it at #15,619 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.60 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 165,983 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ganley 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 Ganley with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.1K
1 in 165,983
Census rank
#15,619
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,801 bearers of the surname Ganley in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.60 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15619th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ganley, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ganley
The surname Ganley is believed to have originated in Ireland, specifically in the regions of County Mayo and County Galway. It is thought to be derived from the Irish Gaelic word "gann," meaning "scarce" or "rare," combined with the diminutive suffix "-ley." This suggests that the name may have been initially used as a descriptive term for someone who was perceived as being scarce or rare in some aspect.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Ganley can be traced back to the 16th century. In the Annals of the Four Masters, a historical chronicle compiled by Irish Franciscan friars in the early 17th century, there is a reference to a family named Ó Gainlídh (anglicized as Ganley) residing in the area of Erris, County Mayo, during the late 16th century.
The Ganley name also appears in various land records and historical documents from the 17th and 18th centuries in counties Mayo and Galway. For instance, in the 1659 Census of Ireland, there are several entries for individuals with the surname Ganley in the parish of Crossboyne, County Mayo.
Notably, the Ganley family was prominently associated with the town of Belmullet, County Mayo, where they held significant landholdings and influence. One notable figure from this lineage was Dominick Ganley (1685-1763), who served as a member of the Irish Parliament for the constituency of County Mayo in the early 18th century.
Another notable individual bearing the Ganley name was Sir John Ganley (1779-1852), an Irish-born military officer who served in the British Army during the Napoleonic Wars. He distinguished himself in various battles, including the Battle of Waterloo, and was knighted for his service.
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, several members of the Ganley family played influential roles in the Irish nationalist movement. One such figure was John Ganley (1855-1922), a prominent Irish republican and member of the Irish Republican Brotherhood, who actively supported the cause of Irish independence.
While the surname Ganley is primarily associated with Ireland, it has also been carried by individuals of Irish descent in other parts of the world, including the United States, Canada, and Australia, where Irish emigrants settled in the 19th and 20th centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ganley
Among Census respondents with the surname Ganley, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Ganley 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 Ganley surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.6% · 1,685
- Two or more races2.6% · 46
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 45
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 11
- Black or African American0.4% · 7
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ganley
Ganley 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
#14,946
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,979
+68 bearers (+3.6%)
Per 100,000 0.67
Rank movement Down 583 places
2020
#15,619
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,801
-178 bearers (-9.0%)
Per 100,000 0.60
Rank movement Down 673 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,363 | 1,911 | 0.71 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,946 | 1,979 | 0.67 | +68 bearers (+3.6%) | Down 583 places |
| 2020 | #15,619 | 1,801 | 0.60 | -178 bearers (-9.0%) | Down 673 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 Ganley 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 | #14,946 | #15,619 | -4.5% |
| Count | 1,979 | 1,801 | -9.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.67 | 0.60 | -10.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ganley bearers went from 1,979 to 1,801 (-9.0% change). The surname moved down 673 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,946 to #15,619.
FAQ
Ganley surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ganley?
Name Census estimates that about 2,065 living Americans carry the surname Ganley. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 165,983 residents.
How common is Ganley?
Ganley ranks #15,619 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.60 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,801 people with the surname Ganley. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,065), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.6 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.60 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Ganley.
Has Ganley become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ganley went from 1,979 recorded bearers to 1,801. That is a decrease of 178 (-9.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,946 to #15,619.
What does the Census say about the background of Ganley?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ganley, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and Hispanic (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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Ganley in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.6% (1,685 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ganley appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.6%), Two or More Races (2.6%), Hispanic (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 Ganley (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 Ganley mean?
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Ó Gamhnáin," meaning "descendant of Gamhnán," a personal name meaning "calf." 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 Ganley (0.60 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 Ganley?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.