Explore the Family Name Gallen
The meaning of Gallen
1. Irish (Donegal and Fermanagh): from Ó Galláin ‘descendant of Gallán’, a personal name from a diminutive of gall ‘cockrel’. 2. English (Northumberland and Durham): variant of Gallon or Gallion. Some characteristic forenames: Irish Michael Patrick.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Gallen in the United States?
Based on data from the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Gallen experienced a slight increase in popularity between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, Gallen ranked 28,194 in terms of popular surnames, and by 2010, it had jumped to position 28,176. This represents an increase of 0.06 percent. During this period, the count of individuals with the surname also increased by 6.26 percent, from 799 to 849. However, the proportion of individuals with the Gallen surname per 100,000 people slightly decreased by 3.33 percent, dropping from 0.3 to 0.29.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #28,194 | #28,176 | 0.06% |
| Count | 799 | 849 | 6.26% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.3 | 0.29 | -3.33% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Gallen
In terms of ethnicity, the Decennial U.S. Census data reveals a shift in the ethnic identities associated with the Gallen surname from 2000 to 2010. The percentage of Gallens identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander saw a significant increase of 219.81 percent, rising from 3.13 percent to 10.01 percent. On the contrary, the proportion of Gallens identifying as White decreased by 6.67 percent, from 90.36 percent to 84.33 percent. There was also a decrease in those identifying as Hispanic, which fell by 23.5 percent from 2 percent to 1.53 percent. Interestingly, the data recorded an emergence of Gallens identifying as Black and American Indian and Alaskan Native in 2010, which were not present in 2000. Those identifying as Two or more races decreased by 37.33 percent.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 90.36% | 84.33% | -6.67% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 3.13% | 10.01% | 219.81% |
| Hispanic | 2% | 1.53% | -23.5% |
| Two or More Races | 2.25% | 1.41% | -37.33% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0% | 1.41% | 0% |
| Black | 0% | 1.3% | 0% |