Total births
16,500
Boys' name · since 1889
Galen
16,500 babies named Galen in U.S. Social Security records since 1889, with the highest year being 1949. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #2752
- among boys today
- 16,500
- born since 1889
- 1950s
- peak decade
- 81%
- more common than other boys
Yes -- Galen is the #2752 most popular boys' name in the U.S. today, with 16,500 recorded since 1889.
Galen has 16,500 recorded births among boys since 1889, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #2752 as of the latest data, more common than 81% of boys, busiest in the 1950s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1889 to 2025.
- #2752 among boys today
- 16,500 born since 1889
- 1950s peak decade
- 81% more common than other boys
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Galen is currently the #2752 boys' name in America, more common than 81% of boys - 16,500 born since 1889, peaking in the 1950s.
- #2752
- among boys today
- 16,500
- born since 1889
- 1950s
- peak decade
- 81%
- more common than other boys
Galen vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
#2752
of 14,294 boys in use
More common than 81% of names given to boys today.
1950s
Peak decade
18% of everyone ever named Galen was born in this single decade.
1949
Single peak year
433 babies were named Galen in 1949 - its busiest year on record.
How Galen compares
16,500 Top 6% higher than 94% of 14,294 names currently given to boys
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Galen's all-time total is 45x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Galen | Median boys name (Elchonon) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 16,500 | 367 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 433 | 23 | 22,252 |
Galen's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Galen's full recorded timeline at 1962, 47% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 53% in the earlier half -- a fairly even split across the full record. Its quietest year on record was 1896, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1949 peak of 433 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Galen at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1949
Current rank
#2,752
Active since
1889
Galen popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1889–2025
- Peak year (1949)
- 433
- Annual births at peak, across 137 years of records
Galen popularity over time - girls
560 total births recorded since 1938 (Galen as girls' name)
Galen by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1950s was Galen's strongest decade.
2,938 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 18% of all-time use.
Galen births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 6
1880s
6 births
- 1890s 24
1890s
24 births
- 1900s 52
1900s
52 births
- 1910s 519
1910s
519 births
- 1920s 1,039
1920s
1,039 births
- 1930s
1930s
1,352 births
- 1940s
1940s
2,445 births
- 1950s
1950s
2,938 births
- 1960s
1960s
1,957 births
- 1970s
1970s
1,642 births
- 1980s
1980s
1,542 births
- 1990s
1990s
1,447 births
- 2000s 791
2000s
791 births
- 2010s 497
2010s
497 births
- 2020s 249
2020s
249 births
What this shows Peak: 1950s at 2,938 births (18% of all-time use).
How Galen compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to Galen's total volume
Galen vs 15 similarly-sized boys names
Galen by state
Where Galen concentrates geographically, total births since 1889
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Pennsylvania | | 1,427 | 8.6% |
| #2 | California | | 1,238 | 7.5% |
| #3 | Kansas | | 1,048 | 6.4% |
| #4 | Ohio | | 816 | 4.9% |
| #5 | Iowa | | 682 | 4.1% |
| #6 | Texas | | 634 | 3.8% |
| #7 | Illinois | | 478 | 2.9% |
| #8 | Minnesota | | 447 | 2.7% |
Pennsylvania share of Galen's total US births 8.6%
Even split
1,427 of 16,500 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 41 reporting states.
Galen appears in 41 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Galen? ▼
Since 1889, Social Security records show 16,500 babies named Galen. Today it holds rank #2752 among boys. Its busiest year on record was 1949, with 433 births.
When was Galen most popular? ▼
Galen was most popular in the 1950s decade with 2,938 total births. The single peak year was 1949.
Where is Galen most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Galen are Pennsylvania (1,427 births), California (1,238 births), Kansas (1,048 births).
How long has the name Galen been used? ▼
Galen has been recorded in Social Security data since 1889, spanning 137 years of data through 2025.
What names are similar to Galen? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Gale, Galvin, Galileo, Galo, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.
What to do with Galen's data
- Galen's decade-level peak was the 1950s (2,938 total births); usage has since declined to 249 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Pennsylvania records the most Galens (1,427 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Pennsylvania names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Galen
Nearby Names Like Galen
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Galen
Gale Boy
#6487 12,437 births
Galvin Boy
#8393 911 births
Galileo Boy
#3462 530 births
Galo Boy
#10074 376 births
Gal Boy
148 births
Compare Galen side by side: Galen vs Gale Galen vs Galvin Galen vs Galileo
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Galen
Data Sources
Data as of June 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1889–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Galen: #2752 Boys' Name - 16,500 Births, Peak 1949." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/galen. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Galen draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.