Galvan is an Irish surname. Irish surnames have had their original forms altered in many ways. Before being translated into English, Galvan appeared as O Gealbhain, derived from the words "geal," which means "bright," and "ban," which means "white." The surname Galvan was first found in County Clare (Irish: An Clár) located on the west coast of Ireland in the province of Munster, where they are a sept of Thomond. More recently, the family is very numerous in Kerry where it is more often spelt Gallivan.
Spanish (Galván): from a medieval personal name. This is in origin the Latin name Galbanus (a derivative of the Roman surname Galba of uncertain origin). However it was used in a number of medieval romances as an equivalent of the Celtic name Gawain (see Gavin ) and it is probably this association that was mainly responsible for its popularity in the Middle Ages
Notable people with the surname include:
- Adriana Galvan, American psychologist
- Anna Galvan (born 1978), New Zealand netball player
- Carlos Galván (born 1973), Argentine footballer
- David Galván (born 1973), Mexican long-distance runner
- Diego Galván (born 1982), Argentine footballer
- Elias Gabriel Galvan (born 1938), Mexican-American Methodist bishop
- Guillermo Galván Galván (born 1943), Mexican general
- Israel Galván (born 1973), Spanish dancer and choreographer
- Javier Galván (born 1966), Mexican politician
- Jesús Galván Carrillo (born 1974), Spanish footballer
- Jorge Galván (born 1966), Mexican writer and engineer
- José Galván (born 1981), Argentine footballer
- Juan Galván, Spanish explorer
- Luis Galván (born 1948), Argentine footballer
- Martín Galván (born 1993), Mexican footballer
- Matteo Galvan (born 1988), Italian sprinter
- Miguel Galván (1957–2008), Mexican comedian and actor
- Pedro Galván (died 1892), Mexican general and politician
- Pedro Joaquín Galván (born 1985), Argentine footballer
- Rubén Galván (boxer) (born 1972), Mexican-American boxer
- Rubén Galván (footballer) (1952–2018), Argentine footballer
- Victoria Galvan (born 1986), Mexican-American singer
See also
- Galvão (Portuguese) and Galvano and Galvani (Italian)
- Galvan, a fictional alien race introduced in the second series of the Ben 10 franchise
- Galván, Dominican Republic, a town in Baoruco Province, Dominican Republic
- Galvan (fashion brand), a British fashion label