NameCensus.

UK surname

Galway

A locational surname originating from the city of Galway in Ireland.

In the 1881 census there were 145 people recorded with the Galway surname, ranking it #15,838 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 315, ranked #14,258, up from #15,838 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Havant, West Derby and Dalton-in-Furness. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Ryedale, Bolton and Scarborough.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Galway is 327 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 117.2%.

1881 census count

145

Ranked #15,838

Modern count

315

2016, ranked #14,258

Peak year

2010

327 bearers

Map years

7

1881 to 2016

Key insights

  • Galway had 145 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #15,838 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 315 in 2016, ranked #14,258.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 161 in 1891.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Galway surname distribution map

The map shows where the Galway surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Galway surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Galway over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 77 #19,998
1861 historical 95 #21,768
1881 historical 145 #15,838
1891 historical 161 #17,473
1901 historical 150 #18,075
1911 historical 147 #18,104
1997 modern 313 #13,158
1998 modern 309 #13,612
1999 modern 314 #13,556
2000 modern 299 #13,937
2001 modern 295 #13,867
2002 modern 291 #14,275
2003 modern 288 #14,192
2004 modern 290 #14,178
2005 modern 282 #14,368
2006 modern 296 #14,030
2007 modern 301 #14,022
2008 modern 306 #13,943
2009 modern 314 #13,985
2010 modern 327 #13,889
2011 modern 318 #14,023
2012 modern 314 #14,063
2013 modern 320 #14,104
2014 modern 321 #14,150
2015 modern 325 #13,927
2016 modern 315 #14,258

Geography

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Where Galways are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Havant, West Derby, Dalton-in-Furness, Liverpool and London parishes. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Ryedale, Bolton, Scarborough and Poole. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Havant Hampshire
2 West Derby Lancashire
3 Dalton-in-Furness Lancashire
4 Liverpool Lancashire
5 London parishes London 2

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Ryedale 008 Ryedale
2 Bolton 008 Bolton
3 Scarborough 007 Scarborough
4 Poole 006 Poole
5 Ryedale 007 Ryedale

Forenames

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First names often paired with Galway

These lists show first names that appear often with the Galway surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Galway

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Galway, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce

Group

Established but Challenged

Nationally, the Galway surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Established but Challenged, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Galway household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many households in these neighbourhoods comprise separated or divorced single parents with dependent children. Residents are typically born in the UK, and these neighbourhoods have relatively few members of ethnic minorities. The prevalence of children, their parents and those at or above normal retirement age, suggests neighbourhood structures may be long-established. Levels of unpaid care are high, and long-term disability is more common than in the Supergroup as a whole. Use of the social rented sector is common, often in terraced houses. Levels of overcrowding are above the Supergroup average. Unemployment is high, while those in work are employed in elementary occupations such as caring, leisure and customer services. Many residents have low level qualifications. Neighbourhood concentrations of this Group are found in the South Wales Valleys, Belfast, Londonderry and the Central Lowlands of Scotland.

Wider pattern

Living in terraced or semi-detached houses, residents of these neighbourhoods typically lack high levels of education and work in elementary or routine service occupations. Unemployment is above average. Residents are predominantly born in the UK, and residents are also predominantly from ethnic minorities. Social (but not private sector) rented sector housing is common. This Supergroup is found throughout the UK’s conurbations and industrial regions but is also an integral part of smaller towns.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

Inner London Working Professionals

Within London, Galway is most associated with areas classed as Inner London Working Professionals, part of Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These primarily Inner London neighbourhoods are more densely populated than the Supergroup average. Residents have a younger over-all age profile than the Supergroup as a whole, and are less likely to be owner occupiers. Full time employment is more common than elsewhere in the Supergroup and multiple car ownership is uncommon. Chinese and non-EU-born European migrants are less in evidence than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

Wider London pattern

These neighbourhoods house people of all ages, predominantly of White British or European extraction. Resident turnover is low. Religious affiliation is less common than average and tends to be Christian if expressed. Homeownership, typically of terraced houses, is common but use of the social rented sector is not. Employment is typically in professional, managerial and associate professional or technical occupations. There are few full-time students. Level 4 qualifications are common. More households lack dependent children than have them which, considered alongside low levels of crowding and over-all age structure, indicates that many households may be post child-rearing and in late middle age. Incidence of disability is low, as is residence in communal establishments.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Galway is most concentrated in decile 8 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier end of the index.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

8
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Galway falls in decile 5 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname near the middle of the scale.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

5
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Galway is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 60-70 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

9
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Galway, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Galway

The surname Galway has its origins in the Irish county of Galway, located in the western province of Connacht. It is believed that the name derives from the Irish Gaelic phrase "Gall Bhaile," which translates to "town of the foreigners" or "town of the strangers." This suggests that the name may have been given to a settlement established by non-Irish settlers or merchants in the region.

The earliest recorded use of the surname Galway can be traced back to the 13th century, during the Norman invasion of Ireland. It is likely that some of the Norman families who settled in the Galway area adopted the name as a locational surname to identify their place of residence or land ownership.

One of the earliest known references to the Galway surname can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of Irish history compiled in the early 17th century. The annals mention a John de Galway, who served as the Sheriff of Connacht in 1305.

In the 14th century, the Galway family played a prominent role in the governance of the town of Galway, with several members serving as mayors and officials. One notable figure was Sir Peter Galway, who served as the Mayor of Galway in 1354 and was a prominent merchant and landowner in the region.

During the Tudor period in the 16th century, the Galway surname was also associated with religious figures. William Galway, born in 1505, was a Catholic bishop who served as the Bishop of Derry from 1545 until his death in 1569.

In the 17th century, the Galway surname gained further prominence with the rise of Richard Galway, a noted military officer who served as the Governor of Limerick during the Williamite War in Ireland. He was born in 1637 and played a crucial role in the defense of Limerick against the forces of William III.

Another notable figure with the Galway surname was John Galway, a 19th-century Irish politician and landowner. He was born in 1805 and served as a Member of Parliament for County Roscommon from 1835 to 1868.

Throughout its history, the Galway surname has also been associated with various place names and older spellings. For example, the town of Galway was originally known as "Gaillimh" in Irish Gaelic, and the surname was sometimes spelled as "Gallway" or "Gallwey" in earlier records.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Galway families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Galway surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Lancashire leads with 36 Galways recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.15x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 36 2.15x
Gloucestershire 14 5.05x
Middlesex 14 0.99x
Sussex 11 4.61x
Yorkshire 10 0.71x
Surrey 9 1.31x
Cheshire 7 2.24x
Nottinghamshire 7 3.67x
Durham 6 1.43x
Hampshire 6 2.07x
Wiltshire 5 4.00x
Cumberland 4 3.29x
Essex 4 1.43x
Glamorgan 3 1.22x
Midlothian 3 1.58x
Ayrshire 2 1.89x
Angus 1 0.76x
Devon 1 0.34x
Lanarkshire 1 0.22x
Somerset 1 0.44x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Toxteth Park in Lancashire leads with 7 Galways recorded in 1881 and an index of 12.32x.

Place Total Index
Toxteth Park 7 12.32x
Bristol St Philip Jacob 6 22.98x
Everton 6 11.22x
Bilton Cum Harrogate 5 104.38x
Chippenham 5 190.84x
Clarborough 5 349.65x
Leeds 5 6.32x
Lewes St John Southover 5 312.50x
Monkwearmouth Shore 5 60.90x
Salford 5 10.13x
Stroud 5 92.59x
Brighton 4 8.31x
Camberwell 4 4.43x
Isleworth 4 63.59x
Kirkdale 4 14.17x
Moss Side 4 45.30x
Rotherhithe 4 22.90x
Workington 4 57.39x
Duddingston 3 78.95x
Manchester 3 3.98x
Penarth 3 124.48x
St Marylebone London 3 3.97x
West Ham 3 4.87x
Altrincham 2 36.70x
Disley Stanley 2 124.22x
Harworth 2 740.74x
Havant 2 136.05x
Irvine 2 68.03x
Newnham 2 281.69x
Portsea 2 3.52x
Poulton Cum Seacombe 2 55.71x
St Martin In Fields 2 23.61x
Warblington 2 173.91x
Warrington 2 10.06x
Westminster St James 2 13.76x
Barrow In Furness 1 4.38x
Cheetham 1 7.99x
Cheltenham 1 4.67x
Croydon 1 2.61x
East Ham 1 19.31x
Govan 1 0.88x
Hammersmith London 1 2.87x
Hastings St Mary 1 16.86x
Heaton Norris 1 10.47x
Hendon 1 19.65x
Hove 1 9.56x
Liverpool 1 0.98x
Midsomer Norton 1 46.73x
Monifieth 1 21.60x
Preston 1 2.23x
St Gilesin Fields London 1 83.33x
Stockton On Tees 1 4.93x
Uffculme 1 113.64x
Upton By Birkenhead 1 333.33x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Galway surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Mary 15
Elizabeth 9
Jane 5
Margaret 5
Sarah 4
Harriet 3
Ellen 2
Fanny 2
Louisa 2
Ann 1
Anna 1
Anne 1
Bridget 1
Catherine 1
Cella 1
Eliza 1
Elizth. 1
Emily 1
Emma 1
Evelina 1
Grace 1
Hannah 1
Hanny 1
Jeanie 1
Johanna 1
Kate 1
Latitia 1
Lauroh 1
Lilly 1
Lizzie 1
Margt. 1
Matilda 1
Minnie 1
Rebecca 1
Rose 1
Susan 1
Vera 1

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Galway surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

FAQ

Galway surname: questions and answers

How common was the Galway surname in 1881?

In 1881, 145 people were recorded with the Galway surname. That placed it at #15,838 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Galway surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 315 in 2016. That gives Galway a modern rank of #14,258.

What does the Galway surname mean?

A locational surname originating from the city of Galway in Ireland.

What does the Galway map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Galway bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.