Galen

Last seen for girls in 2005 at #14,502 · #4,396 for boys in 2025, 23 births
Given to boys 96.7% of the time

Showing
Show data for
Peak · boys
1949 · 433 births
Debut · boys
6 births
In top 100 · boys
never
of 146 years
Total births · boys
16,500
since 1889

Galen over time

boys

Rank among boys' names. Galen has never cracked the top 300 here.

#1#10#100#1,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201943peak #329, 1949boys
Hover or use arrow keys to read values by year; click or press Enter to open that year.

Gaps mean fewer than 5 babies received the name that year, so the SSA doesn't publish it.

Show data table
Yeargirlsboys
rankbirthsrankbirths
2025#4,39623
2024#2,75047
2023#3,17738
2022#2,61651
2021#2,77545
2020#2,72845
2019#2,62649
2018#2,32557
2017#2,34555
2016#3,44132
2015#2,60047
2014#2,17562
2013#2,46150
2012#2,32655
2011#3,43431
2010#2,21259
2009#2,48651
2008#2,29157
2007#2,64346
2006#2,01066
2005#14,5026#1,67480
2004#1,55585
2003#12,4087#1,42093
2002#9,48210#1,303103
2001#13,5216#1,35794
2000#1,175116
1999#8,22311#1,095122
1998#5,36319#1,017133
1997#5,62617#1,110114
1996#5,77116#914143
1995#5,67716#887152
1994#5,98415#881151
1993#4,10025#858152
1992#4,23624#867148
1991#7,98710#827156
1990#4,86819#766176
1989#6,53112#782161
1988#6,27712#778147
1987#7,9878#712164
1986#7,7498#661184
1985#5,67812#698159
1984#7,3988#710151
1983#7,3128#721143
1982#6,37110#782126
1981#5,88511#706150
1980#6,7899#694157
1979#10,2105#693152
1978#7,6497#673154
1977#6,8928#737135
1976#9,2845#711138
1975#6,4848#596183
1974#4,45913#698138
1973#642154
1972#7,2926#585185
1971#600191
1970#6,3627#556212
1969#6,6176#575187
1968#5,1478#561182
1967#4,6259#570174
1966#5,8096#575173
1965#4,4949#594164
1964#5,0088#533215
1963#5,8916#557201
1962#6,5785#545213
1961#6,5675#525228
1960#533220
1959#4,6258#500246
1958#496245
1957#5,3776#481262
1956#4,8377#449284
1955#5,8285#428293
1954#4,2788#409307
1953#2,92114#408293
1952#2,92114#395304
1951#4,3857#351378
1950#4,7386#374326
1949#3,8928#329433
1948#3,13711#367342
1947#4,3457#397299
1946#3,9947#435210
1945#3,6767#424198
1944#4,5745#411214
1943#2,35215#441204
1942#430204
1941#450171
1940#443170
1939#438169
1938#4,3425#460157
1937#485138
1936#477139
1935#479140
1934#492136
1933#495128
1932#528122
1931#532119
1930#591104
1929#527122
1928#608101
1927#553124
1926#619103
1925#600110
1924#64299
1923#589114
1922#68690
1921#66595
1920#72181
1919#70479
1918#76172
1917#74969
1916#68575
1915#75962
1914#64561
1913#72041
1912#68139
1911#1,1909
1910#92812
1909#1,1557
1908#1,0218
1907#9309
1906#79810
1905#1,0916
1904#1,2055
1903
1902
1901
1900#1,0507
1899#1,0515
1898#1,0026
1897
1896#1,1015
1895#7958
1894
1893
1892
1891
1890
1889#8786
1888
1887
1886
1885
1884
1883
1882
1881
1880
First appearance
1889

The first year at least five boys were named Galen! It came in at #878, and was given to 6 baby boys.


Quietest stretch: 1890–1894, when fewer than 5 boys a year got the name.

See more about Galen
Momentum · boys
Falling
  • 1,646 spots since 2024 (#2,750#4,396)
  • 1,668 spots since 2020 (#2,728#4,396)
  • 1,796 spots since 2015 (#2,600#4,396)
  • Biggest jump: 509 spots in 1912 (#1,190#681)
  • Biggest drop: 306 spots in 1896 (#795#1,101)
Rise & fade · boys
60 yrs to peak
  • Debuted 1889
  • Peaked 1949 at #329 (433 births)
  • Births halved by 1962, 13 yrs later
Top of the charts · boys
Top 1,000 for 90 yrs
  • Top 10: never
  • Top 100: never
  • Top 1,000: 90 yrs · run 1912–1996
Share of babies · boys
1 in 4,097
  • Highest: 1 in 4,097 boys born in 1949 were named Galen (0.02%)
  • Latest: 1 in 74,264 boys born in 2025 (0.00%)
Era · boys
The 1950s
  • 17.8% of all boys named Galen (2,938) were born in this decade
Show by decade
DecadeBirthsBest rankAvg rank
1880s6#878 (1889)#878
1890s24#795 (1895)#987
1900s52#798 (1906)#1,036
1910s519#645 (1914)#782
1920s1,039#527 (1929)#621
1930s1,352#438 (1939)#498
1940s2,445#329 (1949)#413
1950s2,938#351 (1951)#429
1960s1,957#525 (1961)#557
1970s1,642#556 (1970)#649
1980s1,542#661 (1986)#724
1990s1,447#766 (1990)#922
2000s791#1,175 (2000)#1,791
2010s497#2,175 (2014)#2,595
2020s249#2,616 (2022)#3,074

All figures count published births only (names given to at least 5 boys in a year). Registrations before 1937 are incomplete, so early shares and totals run low.

Galen in 1943

girls
#2,352
15 births · 1 in 93,020 girls
boys
#441
204 births · 1 in 6,997 boys

Top girls' names in 1943

  1. #1Mary66,174
  2. #2Barbara43,432
  3. #3Patricia39,620
  4. #4Linda38,439
  5. #5Carol31,686
  6. #6Sandra25,990
  7. #7Judith25,214
  8. #8Sharon24,712
  9. #9Nancy23,988
  10. #10Betty21,596
  11. #2,352Galen15

Top boys' names in 1943

  1. #1James80,278
  2. #2Robert74,892
  3. #3John68,929
  4. #4William55,904
  5. #5Richard46,339
  6. #6David37,240
  7. #7Charles36,632
  8. #8Thomas32,874
  9. #9Ronald29,239
  10. #10Michael24,745
  11. #441Galen204
More about 1943

girls

1,395,293 girls got a published name in 1943; 1 in 93,020 of them was named Galen, which outranked 56.2% of the 5,367 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 24.4% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Galen
  1. #2,251Vona16
  2. #2,251Wesley16
  3. #2,251Wyoma16
  4. #2,352Galen15
  5. #2,352Arcelia15
  6. #2,352Astrid15
  7. #2,352Azalee15
  8. #2,447Albertine14
  9. #2,447Alethea14
  10. #2,447Alverda14

Tied with 94 names at #2,352; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1942
Risers
  1. 878Tana#1,559#681
  2. 754Rozanne#1,706#952
  3. 722Cheryle#1,592#870
  4. 596Tena#1,592#996
  5. 525Alexis#1,349#824
Fallers
  1. 594Florida#997#1,591
  2. 467Jerilynn#581#1,048
  3. 364Lorelei#864#1,228
  4. 308Kaaren#536#844
  5. 305Erna#864#1,169

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

boys

1,427,297 boys got a published name in 1943; 1 in 6,997 of them was named Galen, which outranked 89.1% of the 4,040 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 34.1% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Galen
  1. #437Monroe206
  2. #439Salvador205
  3. #439Will205
  4. #441Galen204
  5. #442Vaughn203
  6. #443Al201
  7. #443Coy201
Biggest movers since 1942
Risers
  1. 514Derek#1,228#714
  2. 465Armond#1,421#956
  3. 368Les#1,214#846
  4. 347Aron#1,244#897
  5. 321Edsel#1,167#846
Fallers
  1. 500Humberto#780#1,280
  2. 352Chauncey#928#1,280
  3. 352Clearence#991#1,343
  4. 344Macarthur#512#856
  5. 325Reyes#933#1,258

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

See the top 100 for 1943