Gala
Feminine · “festivity”
Gala is a festive occasion in English, from an Italian word for finery — and Salvador Dalí's wife made it a name.
How old is the name Gala?
Gala first appears in US birth records in 1919 — 106 years ago. The typical Gala alive today was born around 1994, making them about 31 years old. About 2,000 people named Gala are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Gala most popular?
Gala peaked in 1965, reaching #1055 nationally. Today it ranks #2485, 1,430 places below that high. See the whole 1965 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
From gala to Gala
The story of Gala
Elena Diakonova took the name Gala and became Salvador Dalí's wife, muse and dealer for half a century; he signed some works with both their names. Separately, Russian Gala shortens Galina, from a Greek word for calm at sea. Gala appears in American records in current use.
Meaning
festivity, finery
From the Italian gala, 'finery' or 'pomp', probably from an Old French galer, 'to rejoice'. English took it as 'gala'. A separate Russian Gala shortens Galina, from the Greek galene, 'calm'. Both are documented and unrelated.
How the name formed
- gala
- Gala
Related forms: Галя · Gala · Gala
Pronouncing Gala
GAH-lah
Two syllables, stress on the first. English 'gala' is often GAY-luh.
Nicknames for Gala
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1919
- Most girls named
- 202571 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #1055reached in 1965
- Change vs 2023
- +1.4%71 in 2025, from 70
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Gala in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Галя in Russian — related form
- Gala in Spanish — same name
- Gala in Italian — same name
Strongest US states over the last decade: Texas, California, Florida.
Galas among us
people named Gala are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 girl in 22,638 born in 2025 was named Gala
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
The Janetta test
Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. Gala's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Janetta climbed just as high around 1935, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Janetta's path sketches the road Gala is walking now.
Gala sits in the calm middle of the cycle — neither chasing a wave nor sliding off one. Middle-of-the-cycle names age slowly and predictably.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Where Gala is headed
Gala looks set to keep climbing gently, with roughly 28% more babies a year by 2030 if the current curve holds.
Medium confidence — fitted on official counts through 2025.
A damped-trend projection of the official birth data — a sketch of momentum, not a promise. Every name's forecast, ranked.
Gala beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Gala in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US girls given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- Dalí's wife and dealer is a first-rate bearer.
- The Russian route gives a second meaning of calm at sea.
- Two clean syllables with no pronunciation risk.
- It is an ordinary English noun with a different stress.
- The two origins are entirely unrelated.
- It is also an apple variety.
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What they receive
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Gala
Feminine · #2485 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Galas are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 2,000 people named Gala are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Gala in 2025?
- Gala ranks #2485 among US girl names in 2025, with 71 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Gala?
- About 1 in every 22,638 US girls born in 2025 was named Gala — 71 in all.
- Will my child share the name Gala with classmates?
- Gala will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Gala
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Kinlee#2485 · Serayah#2485 · Sariya#2485 · Caitlyn#2485 · Laiken#2485 · Briseida#2485 · Marguerite#2485 · Levi#2485
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Gala? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Gala and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
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Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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