Surname LE GALL - Meaning and Origin
all surnames with 'L'
Unraveling the Threads of Ancestry - A Deep Dive Into My 'Le Gall' Lineage Through iGENEA DNA Test
As someone bearing the surname 'LE GALL,' I opted to take a DNA test at iGENEA to gain a deeper understanding of my lineage. To my satisfaction, the comprehensive testing of Autosomal DNA, Mitochondrial DNA, and Y-Chromosome DNA illuminated my ancestral history accurately and effectively. The test reaffirmed my ancestral roots in the Brittany region of France, aligning perfectly with historical context.
M. LE GALL
read moreLE GALL: What does the surname LE GALL mean?
The last name LE GALL is thought to have originated from French origins. It is believed to have derived from the Old French words “le”, which means “the”, and “gael”, which translates to “stranger” or “foreigner”. The surname could have been given to a new arrival at a place, or to someone of foreign extraction.
An alternate possibility is that the name is derived from the French words “gallus”, which translates to “cock” or “rooster”, and “le”, which means “the”. This would denote somebody with a feisty temperament.
Historically, the LE GALL name can be found in areas of France such as Normandy, Brittany, and Ile-de-France. The name was brought over to America when French immigrants settled in New Orleans, Louisiana in the early 1700s. It is believed that many LE GALL families eventually spread out to the other former French colonies such as Canada, Haiti, Martinique, and St. Pierre et Miquelon.
The LE GALL name continues to thrive across the world today with the number of people with the surname estimated to be over 20,000. These descendants of the original French immigrant families come from a variety of cultural backgrounds and the surname can be found in countries as far and wide as Australia, India, Brazil, and New Zealand.
Order DNA origin analysisLE GALL: Where does the name LE GALL come from?
The surname Le Gall is a French surname, meaning “from the Gauls”. It has historically been most commonly found in the northern regions of France, particularly Brittany, Normandy, and the Ile-de-France, where it is still found today. It is also present in much of the French-speaking world, such as Canada and various parts of Africa.
According to the national census of Canada in 2016, the surname Le Gall was the 16,132nd most common family name in the country. In France, the name is ranked 5,355th according to a national survey in 2014. Le Gall is rarely found in the United States—the 1990 U.S. Census found only a few dozen people bearing it.
The name is sometimes spelled LGall or LeGall, and also contains other variants such as L'Gall, Le Gault, Gual, Gaut and Leroc. There are also over two hundred known variants of the name that span multiple countries and languages, suggesting that the family is of an ancient lineage dating back to Europe’s pre-medieval period.
Overall, Le Gall is a surname that is still quite common in France and French-speaking countries today. While rare in the United States, there are still many families of the name throughout France, Canada, and the rest of the French-speaking world.
Variations of the surname LE GALL
The surname Le Gall is derived from the French language and is known to have equal variants in both French and English. The most common variants of this surname are LeGall, Gall, Galles, Le Gallo, Lagall, Lagalle, and Le Gallois. However, additional variants include Galles, La Gall, La Gallée, La Gallée De La Bussière, Le Gallais, Le Gallaire, Le Gallard, Le Galle, Le Gallien, Le Gallein, Le Gallère, Galler, Gallier, Gallée, Gallée De La Bussière, Lagalia, and Lagalle.
Within the French culture, this surname is believed to have originally come from southern Brittany. One of the earliest records of this surname is believed to have come from a knight from Brittany in the 11th century, Maurice le Galle. In the early 16th century, the surname Gall's from France are known to have been Huguenots, or French Protestants, so many of those who held the Gall surname may have emigrated to England and other parts of Northern Europe.
Within England, this surname is known to have been used both in a French and in an English form, such as Le Gall and Gall. Records of this surname in England date back to the 16th century, when this family appeared located in London and Norfolk.
As of the 21st century, this surname is known to be carried by people in the Netherlands, France, England, Canada, and the United States. The Le Gall surname is also found in limited numbers in Normandy, the Orleans region, and the central La Ultimate region, among other places in France. Population estimates of this surname estimate it currently occurs between 1 in 1.5 million to 1 in 8 million people.
Famous people with the name LE GALL
- Cyprien Le Gall: French football player
- Yves Le Gall: French sailor
- Yvon Le Gall: French cyclo-cross racer
- Philippe Le Gall: French historian
- Clara Le Gall: French model
- Stéphanie Le Gall: French singer
- Luc Le Gall: French composer
- Thierry Le Gall: French football manager
- François Le Gall: French painter
- Guy Le Gall: French film producer
- Pierre Le Gall: French fashion designer
- Guillaume Le Gall: French rugby player
- Cyrille Le Gall: French saxophonist
- Stéphanie Dubost Le Gall: French politician
- Gérald Le Gall: French cyclist
- Jason Le Gall: French basketball player
- Samuel Le Gall: French actor