Galli
An Italian and other continental surname often tied to “the Frenchman/Gaul” or to a nickname based on a cock, though some forms are also patronymic in later records.
The #9,570 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 90,914 Americans shares it.
Etymology
In the most common historical explanation, Galli goes back to Latin Gallus, meaning “Gaul” or “Frenchman,” a term widely used in medieval and Renaissance Europe for people of French origin. Some writers also connect related forms with the Latin gallus, “rooster,” which could have produced nickname surnames referring to a lively or boastful person. Because medieval surname formation was messy and regional, more than one source may lie behind different families called Galli.
History
The surname is especially familiar in Italy, where it has long been established and is still common. Historical dictionaries also note related spellings and cognate forms across French, German, and English records, showing how the same basic nickname or ethnic label could travel and mutate. In some places, similar-looking surnames were later treated as patronymic or variant forms, so not every family named Galli will share the same origin.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Latin gallus could mean both “Gaul” and “rooster,” which is one reason old surname explanations for forms like Galli can point in more than one direction.
From the historical record
“From other sources Galli and GallaSr, n.n. Goddi, n.n.”
— British Family Names: their origin and meaning (2nd ed.)