Explore the Family Name Galey

The meaning of Galey

1. English: variant of Galley. 2. Americanized form of Polish Galej: nickname meaning ‘hasten, hurry’, ultimately from Old Slavic galiti ‘to shout’. 3. French: variant of Gallet 1. Compare Galley.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Galey in the United States?

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname Galey has seen a slight decline over time. In 2000, it was ranked 19,174 and had dropped to the 20,601 spot by 2010, indicating a decrease of 7.44%. The number of individuals carrying the Galey surname also saw a reduction from 1,310 in 2000 to 1,286 in 2010, marking a 1.83% decrease. The proportion per 100k people dwindled by 10.2%, going from 0.49 in 2000 to 0.44 in 2010.

	2000	2010	Change
Rank	#19,174	#20,601	-7.44%
Count	1,310	1,286	-1.83%
Proportion per 100k	0.49	0.44	-10.2%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Galey

In terms of ethnic identity, the Decennial U.S. Census indicates some shifts in the Galey surname's ties over the decade. The most significant increase was observed in the Asian/Pacific Islander category, which jumped from 0.38% in 2000 to 1.01% in 2010. This represents an impressive growth of 165.79%. There was also a notable growth in the Hispanic category, rising from 1.83% to 3.11%, an increase of 69.95%. On the other hand, percentages of those identifying as Black and American Indian and Alaskan Native decreased over this period by 32.14% and 27.1% respectively. Those reporting as white or belonging to two or more races remained relatively stable with minimal changes.

	2000	2010	Change
White	92.9%	92.15%	-0.81%
Hispanic	1.83%	3.11%	69.95%
Black	2.52%	1.71%	-32.14%
Two or More Races	1.3%	1.24%	-4.62%
Asian/Pacific Islander	0.38%	1.01%	165.79%
American Indian and Alaskan Native	1.07%	0.78%	-27.1%