Galați (Romanian pronunciation: [ɡaˈlat͡sʲ]) is a city and a municipality in Romania. The town of Galaţi is the capital of Galați County.Galaţi lies in the historical region of Moldavia, near to Brăila. Galați is the largest port and the largest sea port on the Danube River. It is the second largest port in Romania.In 2011, census data recorded 231204 inhabitants in the city of Galaţi. At that time it was the seventh most populous city in Romania.Galaţi is an industrial city based around the Naval Shipyard, the Arcelor-Mittal steel plant and the Port.

The name "Galaţi" is derived from the Cuman word galat. This word is borrowed from the Arabic word qal'at, meaning a fortress. Other etymologies have been proposed, such as the Serbian galac. However, the galat root appears in nearby toponyms, some of which show clearly a Cuman origin, for example Gălățui Lake, which has the typical Cuman -ui suffix for "water". Another toponym in the region is the Galicia, with its town of Halych, locally associated with the jackdaw (Kawka, Halka). Other similar place names are Galich, Russia and Galatia in Turkey. Gaul might be a derivation from Galatia, thus suggesting a Celtic origin. A similar pattern occurs with the celtic sounding word, Ligures referring to "Caladaa" being a city of the Ligurian or Genoan territories. Although possible, a celtic origin is, however, unlikely.