# Galen (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/galen/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. US counts from the Social Security Administration; England and Wales counts from the Office for National Statistics; meaning and etymology from Wiktionary. Data updated 2026-11-11.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Usually given to | boys |
| Origin | Greek |
| Meaning | “calm”, “tranquillity” |
| Pronunciation | /ˈɡeɪlən/, 2 syllables |
| Nicknames | none recorded |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |
| US babies named this | 17,060 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 16,500 / 560 (3% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | 18, 1996 to 2025 |

## Etymology

From Middle English Galen, from Latin Galēnus, from Ancient Greek Γαληνός (Galēnós), from γαλήνη (galḗnē, “calm, tranquillity”).

## What it means

Galen is grouped under peace.

## Popularity

The last 15 years of each series. A year is missing when too few babies were given the name for the agency to publish it: five in the US, three in England and Wales.

### United States, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1989 | 12 | 6,670 |
| 1990 | 19 | 4,925 |
| 1991 | 10 | 8,173 |
| 1992 | 24 | 4,284 |
| 1993 | 25 | 4,142 |
| 1994 | 15 | 6,097 |
| 1995 | 16 | 5,775 |
| 1996 | 16 | 5,877 |
| 1997 | 17 | 5,704 |
| 1998 | 19 | 5,440 |
| 1999 | 11 | 8,417 |
| 2001 | 6 | 14,119 |
| 2002 | 10 | 9,747 |
| 2003 | 7 | 12,870 |
| 2005 | 6 | 15,129 |

### United States, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 31 | 3,460 |
| 2012 | 55 | 2,339 |
| 2013 | 50 | 2,475 |
| 2014 | 62 | 2,184 |
| 2015 | 47 | 2,619 |
| 2016 | 32 | 3,467 |
| 2017 | 55 | 2,358 |
| 2018 | 57 | 2,329 |
| 2019 | 49 | 2,634 |
| 2020 | 45 | 2,738 |
| 2021 | 45 | 2,789 |
| 2022 | 51 | 2,627 |
| 2023 | 38 | 3,194 |
| 2024 | 47 | 2,764 |
| 2025 | 23 | 4,442 |

### England and Wales, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 3 | 2,863 |
| 1998 | 4 | 2,419 |
| 2001 | 4 | 2,587 |
| 2008 | 4 | 3,687 |
| 2020 | 3 | 4,608 |

## People named Galen

- Galen Rupp, American distance runner
- Galen Spencer, American archer (1840–1904)
- Galen Weston, Canadian billionaire (1940-2021)
- Galen Clark, Canadian-born American conservationist, writer and botanist (1814 – 1910)
- Galen Young, American basketball player (1975–2021)
- Galen Gering, American actor
- Tolu Smith, American basketball player (born 2000)

## How to read these numbers

A count is babies registered with that name in that year, not people alive now, so a name common a century ago can have a large total and few recent births.