2000
#551
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 54,672
First available Census row
Per 100,000 20.27
Uncommon Last name
Gallegos
A Spanish surname indicating a person from Galicia, a region in northwest Spain, or their descendants.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 75,223 Americans carry the last name Gallegos. That puts it at #498 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 21.95 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 4,557 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gallegos 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.
Bearers in the US
75K
1 in 4,557
Census rank
#498
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
21.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
66K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 65,598 bearers of the surname Gallegos in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 21.95 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 498th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gallegos, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 89.9%. The next largest groups are White (8.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gallegos
The surname Gallegos has its origins in Spain, specifically in the region of Galicia. It emerged during the medieval period, likely between the 8th and 12th centuries. The name is derived from the Latin word "Gallaeci," which referred to the Celtic tribes that inhabited the northwestern region of the Iberian Peninsula, known as Gallaecia in ancient times.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Gallegos can be traced back to the 10th century, when it appeared in various historical documents from the Kingdom of Galicia. One notable example is the Codex Calixtinus, a 12th-century manuscript that mentions individuals with the surname Gallegos in connection with the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela.
As the name suggests, Gallegos originally referred to individuals hailing from the region of Galicia, which was then part of the Kingdom of León. The surname may have originated from a specific place name or location within Galicia, such as a town, village, or even a geographical feature.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname Gallegos. One of the earliest recorded figures was Gonzalo Gallegos, a 13th-century Galician nobleman and military leader who played a significant role in the Reconquista against the Moors. Another prominent figure was Juan Gallegos, a 15th-century Spanish painter known for his religious works, including altarpieces and retablos.
In the 16th century, Fernán Gallegos, a Spanish sailor and explorer, accompanied Hernán Cortés on his expeditions to the Americas and participated in the conquest of Mexico. Around the same time, Rodrigo Gallegos served as a judge and magistrate in the Spanish colonial administration in Peru.
During the 17th century, Pedro Gallegos, a Franciscan friar, gained recognition for his missionary work among the indigenous populations of New Spain (present-day Mexico and the southwestern United States). He is credited with establishing several missions and converting numerous individuals to Christianity.
The surname Gallegos has been widely dispersed across various regions due to Spanish colonization and migration. While its roots can be traced back to Galicia, it has become a common surname in countries with significant Spanish heritage, such as Mexico, Argentina, and other parts of Latin America.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gallegos
Among Census respondents with the surname Gallegos, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 89.9%. The next largest groups are White (8.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Gallegos 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 Gallegos surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino89.9% · 59,004
- White8.1% · 5,311
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 381
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 380
- Two or more races0.5% · 332
- Black or African American0.3% · 190
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gallegos
Gallegos 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
#486
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 68,373
+13,701 bearers (+25.1%)
Per 100,000 23.18
Rank movement Up 65 places
2020
#498
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 65,598
-2,775 bearers (-4.1%)
Per 100,000 21.95
Rank movement Down 12 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #551 | 54,672 | 20.27 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #486 | 68,373 | 23.18 | +13,701 bearers (+25.1%) | Up 65 places |
| 2020 | #498 | 65,598 | 21.95 | -2,775 bearers (-4.1%) | Down 12 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 Gallegos 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 | #486 | #498 | -2.5% |
| Count | 68,373 | 65,598 | -4.1% |
| Per 100K | 23.18 | 21.95 | -5.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gallegos bearers went from 68,373 to 65,598 (-4.1% change). The surname moved down 12 positions in the national ranking, going from #486 to #498.
FAQ
Gallegos surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gallegos?
Name Census estimates that about 75,223 living Americans carry the surname Gallegos. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 4,557 residents.
How common is Gallegos?
Gallegos ranks #498 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 21.95 per 100,000 residents, which is about 22 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 65,598 people with the surname Gallegos. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (75,223), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 21.95 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 21.95 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 22 of them to have the surname Gallegos.
Has Gallegos become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gallegos went from 68,373 recorded bearers to 65,598. That is a decrease of 2,775 (-4.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #486 to #498.
What does the Census say about the background of Gallegos?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gallegos, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 89.9%. The next largest groups are White (8.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.6%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Gallegos in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.9% (59,004 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gallegos appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (89.9%), White (8.1%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.6%). 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 Gallegos (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 Gallegos mean?
A Spanish surname indicating a person from Galicia, a region in northwest Spain, or their descendants. 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 Gallegos (21.95 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 share the surname Gallegos?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.