Francis Galton was born into a prominent Quaker family in Sparkbrook, near Birmingham, England. He was a cousin of Charles Darwin and Erasmus Darwin, surrounded by intellectual influences that shaped his later pursuits. His prodigious intellect was evident early on; he could read at the age of 2 1/2 years, displaying exceptional talent and a thirst for knowledge from his earliest years.

Galton began his medical studies at Birmingham General Hospital and later King's College London. Although initially intending to follow a medical career, he found the surgical procedures of the time distasteful and became increasingly interested in mathematics and the human mind, signalling a shift in his professional trajectory.