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Galloway Family History

Galloway Surname Meaning

English and Scottish: habitational name from Galloway in southwest Scotland named as ‘place of the foreign Gaels’ from Gaelic gall ‘foreigner’ + Gaidheal ‘Gael’.

From the 8th century or before it was a province of Anglian Northumbria.

In the 9th century it was settled by mixed Gaelic-Norse inhabitants from the Hebrides and Isle of Man.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


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Where is the Galloway family from?

You can see how Galloway families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Galloway family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Galloway families were found in USA in 1880. In 1891 there were 692 Galloway families living in Yorkshire. This was about 28% of all the recorded Galloway's in United Kingdom. Yorkshire had the highest population of Galloway families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Galloway surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
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What did your Galloway ancestors do for a living?

In 1939, General Labourer and Unpaid Domestic Duties were the top reported jobs for men and women in the United Kingdom named Galloway. 14% of Galloway men worked as a General Labourer and 71% of Galloway women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties. Some less common occupations for Americans named Galloway were Incapacitated and Domestic Servant.

View Census Data for Galloway | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Male Occupations In 1939

  • General Labourer
    14%
  • Bricklayer
    5%
  • Retired
    4%
  • Incapacitated
    3%

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    71%
  • Private Means
    3%
  • Unpaid Domestic
    3%
  • Domestic Servant
    2%

What Galloway family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 193,000 census records available for the last name Galloway. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Galloway census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Galloway

Passenger Lists

There are 24,000 immigration records available for the last name Galloway. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the UK, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Galloway immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 35,000 military records available for the last name Galloway. For the veterans among your Galloway ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Galloway military records

You've only scratched the surface of Galloway family history

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What is the average Galloway lifespan?

Between 1941 and 2004, in the United States, Galloway life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1948, and highest in 2004. The average life expectancy for Galloway in 1941 was 42, and 75 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Galloway

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Galloway ancestors lived in harsh conditions. A short lifespan might also indicate health problems that were once prevalent in your family. The SSDI is a searchable database of more than 70 million names. You can find birthdates, death dates, addresses and more.

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