How Many People Are Named Galen?
An estimated 11,904 people in the United States have the first name Galen. It is predominantly male (96.7%). The average bearer is 53 years old, and Galen peaked in popularity in 1949 with 441 births that year.
Below you will find a full statistical profile of Galen as a first name in the United States, including gender data, a year-by-year popularity timeline going back to 1880, a decade breakdown, and state-by-state birth registrations. You can also check how many people share the full name Galen paired with any surname.
Key Insights
- While Galen is overwhelmingly male, 560 female births have been registered with this name since 1880.
Estimated Living Americans
11,904
About 1 in 28,793 people in the U.S.
Rarity
Uncommon
Predicted Gender
Male
96.7% confidence
Average Age
53
years old
Peak Year
1949
441 births
Total Registered
17,036
since 1880
Gender Distribution for Galen
Galen is predominantly male (96.7%), though 560 female births have been registered. It functions as a unisex name for a small percentage of bearers.
Galen as a male name
Ranked #2,753 in 2024
47 male births in 2024
Peak: 1949 (433 births)
Galen as a female name
Ranked #15,127 in 2005
6 female births in 2005
Peak: 1993 (25 births)
Galen: Popularity Over Time
SSA records for Galen span from the 1880s to the 2020s, covering 15 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 1950s, when 3,013 babies were registered. Galen has declined significantly from its peak in the 1950s. Recent registrations are a fraction of what they were at the name's height.
Galen by Decade
How has Galen tracked across different eras? The table below groups all SSA birth registrations into 10-year periods, with separate male and female counts. The colored bar shows each decade's share relative to the peak.
Galen by State
Birth registrations for Galen span all 41 states and territories in the SSA database. The highest counts are in Pennsylvania, California, Kansas. The lowest are in New Jersey, New Hampshire, District of Columbia. On average, about 261 Galens were registered per state.
Galen + Last Name Combinations
How many people share a full name with Galen as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Names Similar to Galen
Other first names starting with G with a similar number of bearers.
Galen: Questions and Answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Galen?
We estimate approximately 11,904 people named Galen are alive in the United States today. This is based on SSA birth records from 1880 to 2024, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables. About 1 in 28,793 Americans share this first name.
Is Galen a common name?
Galen is classified as "Uncommon" and is more popular than 97.9% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 17,036 births have been registered with this name since 1880.
When was Galen most popular?
Galen reached peak popularity in 1949, when 441 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Galen is approximately 53 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.
Is Galen a male name?
Galen is predominantly male. 96.7% of people with this name are male. See the gender breakdown above for full details.
How many Galen Smiths are there?
To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Galen Smith, Galen Johnson, Galen Williams. You can also search any combination on our homepage.
Where does this data come from?
Our estimates use Social Security Administration birth records (1880 to 2024), adjusted for survival using CDC 2023 life tables broken down by sex. The U.S. population figure (342,754,338) is from the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimate. Full methodology.
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