Show ContentsGalan History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Galan family

The surname Galan was first found in Essex, where the first on record was as a forename, Galant fitz Richard who was listed in the Feet of Fines in 1210. A few years later, the Hundredorum Rolls listed Adam Galland in Essex in 1274 and Thomas Galaunt in Suffolk in 1275. Later, the Feet of Fines for Essex listed John Galant in 1326. [1]

Quite a few sources note that the name could have been a nickname for someone who was polite, brave person or for someone who was in fine attire. [1] [2] [3] [4]

Further to the north in Scotland, William Gallant was retoured heir of William Gallant, by his father, in the lands of Newnoth, Aberdeenshire in 1655. [5] The name is equally Scottish/English and French.

Early History of the Galan family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Galan research. Another 61 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1507, 1665 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Galan History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Galan Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Gallant, Galland, Gallan and others.

Early Notables of the Galan family

Notable among the family at this time was William Galeon (d. 1507), learned Augustinian, born in Norfolk, and became a friar eremite in the Augustinian monastery of Lynn Regis. "He was chiefly renowned for his minute knowledge of theology, and took a D.D. degree probably before he left...
Another 48 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Galan Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Galan Ranking

In the United States, the name Galan is the 7,838th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. [6] However, in France, the name Galan is ranked the 4,308th most popular surname with an estimated 1,500 - 2,000 people with that name. [7]

Ireland Migration of the Galan family to Ireland

Some of the Galan family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 60 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Galan migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Galan Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Francisco Galan, who arrived in Puerto Rico in 1804 [8]
  • Hugh Galan, who settled in Philadelphia in 1811
  • Juan Galan, who arrived in America in 1812 [8]
  • Sally Galan, who landed in New York, NY in 1815 [8]
  • Cristobal Galan, who arrived in Spanish Main in 1834 [8]
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Galan (post 1700) +

  • August John "Augie" Galan (1912-1993), American Major League Baseball left fielder who played from 1934 to 1949
  • R. A. Galan, American politician, Candidate for U.S. Senator from Louisiana, 2004 [9]
  • Nely Galan, American Democratic Party politician, Member of Democratic National Committee from California, 2004; Delegate to Democratic National Convention from California, 2004 [9]
  • Gilda Galán (1917-2009), Puerto Rican actress, dramaticist, comedian and writer
  • Juana Galán (1787-1812), nicknamed La Galana, a Spanish guerrilla fighter of the Peninsular War (1808-1814)
  • Nely Galán (b. 1963), Cuban independent producer
  • Francisco Galán Rodriguéz (1902-1971), Spanish military officer, brother of José María Galán Rodríguez
  • José María Galán Rodríguez (1904-1978), Spanish military officer in the Spanish Civil War
  • Giancarlo Galan (b. 1956), Italian politician, 7th President of Veneto (1995-2010)
  • José Antonio Galán (1749-1782), Colombian revolutionary, leader of the Comuneros insurrection in 1781, sentenced and executed by the Spanish
  • ... (Another 5 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)


  1. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  2. Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
  3. Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
  4. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  5. Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
  6. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  7. http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
  8. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  9. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 13) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


Houseofnames.com on Facebook