Where the Galati surname comes from
Scholars don’t have a single answer for the Galati surname. Three paths have been proposed. The first is a town: in Sicily and Calabria there are several places called Galati. The second is the Greek gála, “milk,” perhaps for a milkman or a shepherd. The third is the ancient people of the Galatians. The PDF explains which are the most likely for a family from southern Italy.
Eastern Celts and Sicilian towns
The third path leads far away, to a people of Celtic warriors who settled in the heart of today’s Turkey. A famous letter and one of the best-known statues of antiquity speak of them. In Sicily, on the other hand, two towns with the same name have two different explanations, one Arab and one Greek. All these stories are in the PDF.
Where the Galatis live today
Galati is a surname of southern Italy, with about 3,100 families in Italy. It is concentrated in Sicily, especially in the province of Messina, then in Calabria and Apulia. The town where it is the top surname is Tortorici, in the Nebrodi Mountains, the “town of bells.” Outside the South it is found mostly in Lombardy, Lazio and Piedmont. The region-by-region map and the countries around the world where the family settled are in the PDF.
Variants
Watch out for names that look like the surname: Galata is a neighborhood of Istanbul, Galați a city in Romania. Similar names, each with a story of its own.
FAQ
What does the Galati surname mean?
The origin is debated. It may come from one of the towns called Galati, from the Greek gála, “milk,” or from the ancient people of the Galatians. The first two paths are the closest to northeastern Sicily and Calabria, where the surname was born.
Is Galati a Sicilian or a Calabrian surname?
Both. The surname grew up between northeastern Sicily and Calabria. In Sicily it is strongest in the Messina area, in Calabria in the province of Vibo Valentia. It is also common in Apulia.
Where is the town of Galati?
There is more than one. There is Galati Mamertino, a town in the Nebrodi Mountains in the province of Messina. Then there are the villages of Galati Marina, Superiore and Inferiore, south of Messina on the Strait. Other places with this name are in the provinces of Reggio Calabria and Enna.
Does Galati have anything to do with Galata in Istanbul?
No. Galata is a neighborhood of Istanbul and Galați a city in Romania. The Galatis who live in Greece and Romania have local stories, different from those of the Galatis who left Italy.
Are all Galatis related?
No. The surname may have been born in different places and for different reasons, in families that were not related. To rebuild your own family history you need birth records and parish registers.
Is the Galati surname noble?
The surname itself doesn’t mean nobility. Nearly all Galati families were shepherds, farmers and craftsmen of the Nebrodi Mountains and Calabria. Only a few branches had a coat of arms.
Is there a Galati family coat of arms?
Heraldic archives record the coats of arms of two Galati families, one from Sciacca and one from Tropea. They belonged to those families. There is no single coat of arms for all Galatis.
