Explore the Family Name Galster
The meaning of Galster
German and Swiss German: nickname from Middle High German galster ‘incantation, deceit’, also, in Swabia, ‘magpie’, and in this sense it may have been a nickname for a trickster, pilferer or petty thief.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Galster in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname Galster saw a slight decrease in popularity between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, it was ranked as the 33,563rd most popular surname, but by 2010, it had dropped to 34,967th place, marking a 4.18% decrease. Despite this drop in rank, the actual count of individuals with the Galster surname marginally increased from 641 in 2000 to 645 in 2010, a growth of 0.62%. However, when measured as a proportion per 100,000 people, the presence of this surname experienced an 8.33% decrease.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #33,563 | #34,967 | -4.18% |
| Count | 641 | 645 | 0.62% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.24 | 0.22 | -8.33% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Galster
Regarding the ethnic identity associated with the surname Galster, the Decennial U.S. Census data provides some interesting insights. The majority of individuals with this surname identified as White, accounting for 95.94% in 2000 and slightly increasing to 96.28% in 2010. For those identifying as having two or more races, there was a noticeable increase from 0.78% in 2000 to 0.93% in 2010. Interestingly, the data shows that some individuals started identifying as Hispanic in 2010, while none did in 2000. Contrarily, the percentage of people identifying as Black or American Indian and Alaskan Native, which were previously at 1.56% and 0.78% respectively in 2000, dropped to zero by 2010. This analysis does not include data for Asian/Pacific Islander ethnic identity as it remained consistently at zero for both years.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 95.94% | 96.28% | 0.35% |
| Hispanic | 0% | 1.4% | 0% |
| Two or More Races | 0.78% | 0.93% | 19.23% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Black | 1.56% | 0% | 0% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.78% | 0% | 0% |