Galen

Galen: name meaning, origin & popularity

Meaning: “calm, healer”
Origin: Greek
Say it: GAY-len · 2 syllables
Used for: Boys (97% of all uses)

From Greek Galenos, meaning calm or tranquil. It is also associated with the ancient physician Galen of Pergamon.

English names Greek names Names meaning peace Names meaning wisdom Classic names International names

How popular is Galen?

202414.1 per million US babies

Drag the line or the slider to read any year. Values are per million US births recorded by Social Security. Records before about 1937 undercount births, so early peaks can look taller than they were.

Compare with another name

Babies named Galen in 202447

2024 rank#2,744 boys

Peak year1949

Total US babies since 188017,036

Galen is steady now but far below its 1949 peak.

Names like Galen

Variants, related forms and names with the same roots.

Theodoregift of God · Greek
Sebastianfrom Sebaste · Greek
Alexanderdefender of men · Greek
Lukefrom Lucania · Greek
Christopherbearer of Christ · Greek
Andrewmanly, brave · Greek
Theogod · Greek
Georgefarmer, earth-worker · Greek

Galen questions

What does the name Galen mean?

Galen means "calm, healer". It comes from Greek. From Greek Galenos, meaning calm or tranquil. It is also associated with the ancient physician Galen of Pergamon.

Is Galen a boy or girl name?

Galen is mainly a boy's name in US records (97% of uses since 1880).

How popular is Galen?

47 US babies were named Galen in 2024. Its peak year was 1949.

How do you pronounce Galen?

Galen is usually pronounced GAY-len.

Birth counts: US Social Security Administration national data, 1880–2024 (names given to 5+ babies of a sex in a year). How we write meanings.