# Galvin (surname)

Source: https://namelineage.com/surname/galvin/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. Counts from the US Census Bureau; origin and etymology from Wiktionary; bearers from Wikidata. Data updated 2026-11-11.

A surname.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | French |
| Type | patronymic, formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 11,882 |
| US rank (2010) | 3,018 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 25,984 people |
| Change since 2000 | +3.3% (11,499 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | not recorded |
| Variant spellings | Gallivan |

## Etymology

Two main origins: * Reduced Anglicized form of Irish Ó Gealbháin (“descendant of Gealbhán”), a personal name composed of the elements geal (“bright”) and bán (“white”). * Borrowed from French Galvin, either a variant of Gauvain or a nickname for a drunkard, from Old French galer (“to enjoy oneself”).

## Who carries it

Share of people named Galvin in the 2010 US Census by the Census's own race and ethnicity groups. The Census suppresses a share when the count behind it is small.

| Group | Share |
|---|---|
| White (not Hispanic) | 85% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 4.3% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 8.0% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 0.9% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.5% |
| Two or more races | 1.6% |

## Where

Wikidata records people named Galvin in the United States and Australia.

## People named Galvin

- Noah Galvin, American actor and singer (born 1994)
- Anna Galvin, Australian actress
- Pud Galvin, American baseball player (1856–1902)
- Bob Galvin, American businessman (1922–2011)

## Similar surnames

Galvan, Glavin, Gallivan, Glavan, Galban, Galpin, Gilpin, Gelfand.

## How to read these numbers

A Census count is people alive and counted in 2010, not births, and names occurring fewer than 100 times are not published at all. Ethnicity shares are the Census's own categories.