Gala
Gala is a feminine given name with multiple origins from different cultures. As a Spanish name, it is a feminine version of the name Gallus, derived either from a Latin cognomen meaning rooster or meaning "man from Gaul". Saint Gall was a 6th-century saint. It is also a Russian diminutive form of the name Galina, from the Greek name Galênê meaning "calm", or a variant of the name Helen.
- Russian
- Spanish
Meaning & Origin of Gala
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Gala is a feminine given name with multiple origins from different cultures. As a Spanish name, it is a feminine version of the name Gallus, derived either from a Latin cognomen meaning rooster or meaning "man from Gaul". Saint Gall was a 6th-century saint. It is also a Russian diminutive form of the name Galina, from the Greek name Galênê meaning "calm", or a variant of the name Helen.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)
- Russian
- Spanish
The Story of Gala
American parents first put Gala on the record books as a baby girl name in 1919, with 6 registered babies. Its peak popularity came in 1965, when 99 Galas were born — ranking #1,055 that year. About 21% of every Gala on record arrived during the 2020s, its defining decade. As of 2026, Gala ranks #2,173 for baby girls with 87 births, rising sharply (+63% over the past five years). All told, over 2K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1910s to the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Variants & Related Forms of Gala
Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Gala. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Notable people named Gala
A small selection from Wikipedia. Tap "Read more" below to see the full list on Wikipedia.
- Gala Aleksić (born 1969), Serbian actress
- Gala Čaki (born 1987), Serbian painter, art collector, and organizer of the Gala International Symposium of Art
- Sofía Gala Castiglione Casanova (born 1987), Argentine actress known as Sofía Gala
- Gala Évora (born 1983), Spanish singer and actress
- Gala León García (born 1973), Spanish professional tennis player
- Gala Montes (born 2000), Mexican actress
- Gala Porras-Kim (born 1984), Colombian interdisciplinary artist who lives and works in Los Angeles
- Gala Rizzatto (born 1975), Italian pop singer and songwriter known as Gala
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Names that sound like Gala
Phonetically similar names — useful when Gala is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Gala
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About the name Gala
Gala is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1919 and has accumulated 2K births in the dataset. Gala's peak popularity came in 1965 when it ranked #1,055. Use the chart and map above to compare Gala's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1965 →
- Names of the 1960s →
- Names starting with "G" →
- Browse all girl names →
- Top names of 2026 →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.