Save Type Surname (from given name) Usage Italian (Rare) Pronounced Pron. /ɡa.li.ˈlɛː.i/ [key·simplify] Meaning & HistoryExpand Links From the given name Galileo. A notable bearer was the Italian astronomer and physicist Galileo Galilei (1564-1642). Both his given name and surname were from an earlier 15th-century ancestor (a doctor).