Explore the Family Name Gal
The meaning of Gal
1. Hungarian, Slovak, and Czech (Gál); Polish (also Gał); Rusyn (in Slovakia also Gál, in Poland also Gał); Slovenian and Croatian: from the personal name Hungarian, Slovak, and Czech Gál, Polish, Rusyn, Slovenian, and Croatian Gal, from Latin Gallus (see Gall 3), the name borne by a 7th-century Irish missionary who was very active in Central Europe and is venerated as a saint in the Catholic Church. This personal name was widespread in Europe in the Middle Ages, and it gave rise to many surnames, e.g. Slovak Galko, Galčík, Galik, Gall, Gallik, Galovič (see Galovic), and Galus, and Slovenian Gale. In North America, the surname Gal could also be a shortening of some of them. 2. Croatian and Slovenian: from the old personal name Gal, from gal, an obsolete word meaning ‘black’. 3. Dutch: variant of Gaal 2. 4. French: nickname from southern French gal ‘rooster’ (Old French jal, Latin gallus). 5. French: from a vernacular form of the Latin personal name Gallus (see Gall 3), the name of a 6th-century Christian saint, bishop of Clermont; or a habitational name for someone from either of two places called Saint-Gal, in Lozère and Puy-de-Dôme, or from Saint-Jal in Corrèze. Compare Dugal. 6. Jewish (Israeli): artificial name from Hebrew gal ‘wave’. Some characteristic forenames: Jewish Aharon, Eti, Ofer, Aviva, Dorit, Dov, Gadi, Moshe, Noam, Ronen. Hungarian Imre, Sandor, Janos, Laszlo, Bela, Ildiko. Polish Andrej, Dariusz, Feliks, Kazimierz, Stanislaw, Wlodzimierz.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Gal in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname "Gal" has increased between the years 2000 and 2010. In 2000, it was ranked 25,098 but in 2010, it rose to 22,000, indicating a growth of 12.34%. The count also indicates an increase in the number of people with the surname "Gal", from 927 individuals in 2000 to 1,179 in 2010, a substantial growth of 27.18%. The proportion of this surname per 100,000 population also saw an increase from 0.34 in 2000 to 0.4 by 2010, a rise of 17.65%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #25,098 | #22,000 | 12.34% |
| Count | 927 | 1,179 | 27.18% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.34 | 0.4 | 17.65% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Gal
Looking at the ethnicity of individuals with the surname "Gal", there have been some changes recorded by the Decennial U.S. Census from 2000 to 2010. The majority identify as White, representing 90.40% in 2000 and slightly declining to 89.48% in 2010. The Hispanic representation saw a significant increase from 3.88% in 2000 to 6.53% in 2010. Asian/Pacific Islander representation decreased from 2.37% to 1.95%, while Black representation also fell slightly from 1.19% to 1.02%. There were no individuals identifying as having two or more races or as American Indian and Alaskan Native in 2010, compared to the small percentages in 2000.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 90.4% | 89.48% | -1.02% |
| Hispanic | 3.88% | 6.53% | 68.3% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 2.37% | 1.95% | -17.72% |
| Black | 1.19% | 1.02% | -14.29% |
| Two or More Races | 2.16% | 0% | 0% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0% | 0% | 0% |