Galen
Boy name · Celtic · Greek · Irish
Meaningcalm · Greek
- US rank
- #4,396
- Syllables
- 2
- Peak
- #329 in 1949
23 babies were named Galen in the US in 2025. It has dropped 1,668 places in five years.
Found on lists
Save adds it to your list. Vote moves it up the top voted names.
US births per million girls, 1938–2025
US births per million boys, 1889–2025
Similar names
Popularity: U.S. Social Security Administration (babies with 5+ births per year).
Did you know?
A few things about Galen you might not know, from US birth records and Wikipedia. Handy for convincing a partner, or a grandparent.
Famous Galen
Galen Rupp
American distance runner
Choose Galen and your child shares a first name with Galen Rupp, an American distance runner. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Galen, like who?” Galen Rupp's Wikipedia article is available in 25 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.
Read about Galen Rupp on Wikipedia (opens in a new tab)Photo: Citizen59, CC BY-SA 3.0 (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons
- How commonAbout 1 in every 74,074 baby boys born in the US in 2025 was named Galen, 23 babies in all. In a typical school of 500 kids, your Galen would very likely be the only one.
- HistoryGalen first shows up in US birth records in 1889, the first year at least 5 babies got it. It has been in use for 136 years since.
- Best yearIt was far more popular in 1949, when it ranked #329. Today it's #4,396, so it could be due a comeback.
- Then vs nowGalen was 4.4× more common in 2000 than it is today. In 2000 it was given to about 1 in 16,920 baby boys; in 2025, about 1 in 74,074.
- TrendGalen has slipped 1,668 places over the last five years and now sits at #4,396. Good news if you want a familiar name that fewer kids will share.
- MeaningIn Greek, Galen means “calm”. Our records link it to Celtic, Greek and Irish roots.
About the name Galen
Galen is a boy name of Celtic, Greek and Irish origin meaning “calm”. It has 5 letters and 2 syllables, starting with G and ending in “-len”. US birth records list Galen for boys from 1889 to 2025, in 128 of those 137 years. Its best year was 1949, when it ranked #329 among boy names. In 2025 it ranked #4,396, with 23 babies.
Origin:Celtic namesGreek namesIrish names
| Decade | Babies per million | About 1 in |
|---|---|---|
| 1930s | 2.3 | 444,444 girls |
| 1940s | 4.0 | 252,525 girls |
| 1950s | 3.9 | 253,807 girls |
| 1960s | 3.5 | 286,533 girls |
| 1970s | 3.9 | 259,067 girls |
| 1980s | 5.7 | 175,439 girls |
| 1990s | 9.6 | 104,712 girls |
| 2000s | 2.6 | 377,358 girls |
| Decade | Babies per million | About 1 in |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 54 | 18,416 boys |
| 1890s | 21 | 48,567 boys |
| 1900s | 36 | 27,647 boys |
| 1910s | 75 | 13,349 boys |
| 1920s | 94 | 10,610 boys |
| 1930s | 128 | 7,819 boys |
| 1940s | 161 | 6,202 boys |
| 1950s | 147 | 6,816 boys |
| 1960s | 101 | 9,855 boys |
| 1970s | 99 | 10,078 boys |
| 1980s | 84 | 11,967 boys |
| 1990s | 74 | 13,484 boys |
| 2000s | 40 | 25,094 boys |
| 2010s | 26 | 37,793 boys |
| 2020s | 24 | 41,667 boys |
More Celtic boy names
- Unisex name: Owen · well-born
- Unisex name: Logan · little hollow
- Unisex name: Rowan · little red-haired one
- Unisex name: Nolan · descendant of Nuallán
- Unisex name: Cameron · crooked nose
- Boy name: Ian · God is gracious
- Unisex name: Gael · a Gael
- Boy name: Arthur · possibly bear
Questions about the name Galen
What does the name Galen mean?
Galen means “calm” in Greek.
What is the origin of the name Galen?
Galen has Celtic, Greek, Irish roots in our records. Other Celtic names include Owen, Logan, Rowan.
Is Galen a boy or girl name?
Galen is a boy name.
How popular is the name Galen?
Galen ranked #4,396 for US boys in 2025, given to 23 babies. Its best year was 1949 (#329).