first name
GALEN
of 53,615 first names recorded in the 2020 Census
Of the 11,997 people named Galen, 83.1% reported their origin as White, 6.6% as Black and 3.5% as two or more races. 95.4% are male. These count how people described themselves on the 2020 Census, not where the name comes from.
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Galen peaked in 1949, when 441 babies got the name.
At least 17,060 babies have been given the name since 1889. Years SSA withheld, because fewer than 5 were born, are skipped rather than drawn as zero. * 2025 is the newest year published and it undercounts: a card application is filed some time after a birth.
Galen by decade
Among all names given to American babies, its best decade was the 1940s, when it ranked #866. The largest share of babies named Galen, 31.8%, were born during the baby boom (1946–1964).
Rank counts both sexes together, among every name SSA recorded that decade; the number under it is births. The 2020s run only to 2025. Generation years follow Pew Research Center, which has not named a generation after 2012.
Where Galen is most common
Compared with all babies born in each state since 1910, Galen has been most common in Kansas (9.2×), Maine (7.8×), and Iowa (4.8×), and least common in North Carolina (0.13×).
10,715 births recorded by state, 1910–2025. 2× means twice as common as nationally. States with fewer than 30 such births are left blank, and SSA withholds any year with fewer than 5 in a state, so small states read low.
Exactly as common as Galen
2 other first names also have 11,997 people.
Either side of Galen
Spelled almost the same
8 first names in the 2020 Census spelled within a letter or two of Galen, most common first.
Also a last name
As a last name, Galen ranks #36,101 of 156,621, with 668 people. See Galen as a last name
Compare
🔎 GALEN 🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦⬜⬜ 1 in 25,176 Americans Rarer than 78.9% of us Peaked in 1949 with 441 babies Beat that 👇 https://howrareismy.name/first/galen/