Galle History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
France
Germany
Ireland
Scotland

The Clan from whom the Galle family descends began among the ancient Dalriadan kingdom of the west coast of Scotland. Their name comes from the Gaelic surname of Scottish origin, which means son of the battle chief.

Saint Gall (550?-645?), originally named Cellach or Caillech, was abbot and the apostle of the Suevi and the Alemanni, and appears to have been the son of Cethernach, an Irishman of noble lineage, of the sept of Hy-Cennsealach, his mother being, it is asserted, a queen of Hungary. 1

The MacGall variant was later derived from the Gaelic Mac goill, or Mac an ghoill, 'stranger's son,' 'Lowlander.' 2

The MacCall variant was from the Gaelic MacCathail, 'son of Cathal,' "the M'Calls of Guffokland were an old Nithsdale family. Robert M'Kawele, was Lord of Karsnelohe, c. 1370-1380." 2

Early Origins of the Galle family

The surname Galle was first found in Argyllshire (Gaelic erra Ghaidheal), the region of western Scotland corresponding roughly with the ancient Kingdom of Dál Riata, in the Strathclyde region of Scotland, now part of the Council Area of Argyll and Bute, where they held a family seat from early times and their first records appeared on the census rolls taken by the early Kings of Britain to determine the rate of taxation of their subjects.

The Maccalls of Dumfriesshire were settled there as early as 1500, "and are said to be descended from the Macaulays. John M'Call is recorded in Cumbray, 1583 (Hunter, p. 31). Matthew McCall in Maybole, charged with reset of rebels in 1607, appears a few days later as McEall (RPC., XIV p. 507). Quintigern Makcall, bailie of Edinburgh, 1610." 2

Early History of the Galle family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Galle research. Another 215 words (15 lines of text) covering the years 1602, 1629, 1684, 1686, 1688 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Galle History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Galle Spelling Variations

Historical recordings of the name Galle include many spelling variations. They are the result of repeated translations of the name from Gaelic to English and inconsistencies in spelling rules. They include MacAll, MacColl, MacCole, MacCall, MacAul, Mccall and others.

Early Notables of the Galle family

More information is included under the topic Early Galle Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Galle Ranking

In the United States, the name Galle is the 16,158^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 3 However, in France, the name Galle is ranked the 2,630^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,500 - 3,000 people with that name. 4

Migration of the Galle family to Ireland

Some of the Galle family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 80 words (6 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Galle migration to the United States +

Significant portions of the populations of both the United States and Canada are still made up of the ancestors of Dalriadan families. Some of those in Canada originally settled the United States, but went north as United Empire Loyalists in the American War of Independence. The late 19th and early 20th centuries saw the ancestors of many Scots on both sides of the border begin to recover their collective national heritage through Clan societies and highland games. Some of the first North American settlers carried this name or one of its variants:

Galle Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Louis Galle, who arrived in Louisiana in 1718 5
Rosina Galle, who landed in New York, NY in 1749 5
Rosina Galle, a Moravian who settled in New York in 1749
Christian Galle, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1751 5
Jacob Galle, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1751 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Galle Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Joh. Galle, who emigrated from the Rhineland to Virginia in 1828
Miss Galle, who landed in North America in 1843 5
Peter Galle, who sailed from Birkenfeld to Brazil in 1846
Peter Galle, who arrived in Brazil in 1846 5
William Galle, who landed in St Clair County, Illinois in 1857 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Galle (post 1700) +

Carla Galle (1948-2022), Belgian medley swimmer who competed in two events at the 1968 Summer Olympics
Ilse Margarete Galle (b. 1903), German musician

Citations +

Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
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)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
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)