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Galloway Family History

Galloway Name 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


Similar surnames: Gallaway, Alloway, Galway, Callow, Gallo, Galley, Callaway, Gallia

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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 1911 there were 279 Galloway families living in Ontario. This was about 53% of all the recorded Galloway's in Canada. Ontario had the highest population of Galloway families in 1911.
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.

What did your Galloway ancestors do for a living?

In 1921, Farmer and Income were the top reported jobs for men and women in the Canada named Galloway. 43% of Galloway men worked as a Farmer and 15% of Galloway women worked as an Income. Some less common occupations for Americans named Galloway were Manager and Clerk. .

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 1921

  • Farmer
    43%
  • Labourer
    9%
  • Laborer
    6%
  • Manager
    3%

Top Female Occupations In 1921

  • Income
    15%
  • Stenographer
    15%
  • Housekeeper
    12%
  • Clerk
    12%
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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 Canadian 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 Canada, 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.

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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

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