Walley
Derived from a surname referring to someone from Wales.
Name Census estimates that about 39 living Americans carry the first name Walley. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Walley today is around 66 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Walley births was 1953 (9 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Walley. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Walley is about 66 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Walleys were born before 1970.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Walley. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
39
~ 1 in 8,788,573 Americans
Peak year
1953
9 babies that year
Average age
66
years old
1973 SSA rank
#5,855
Tracked since 1925
Census
Walley in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 146 people with the first name Walley, which placed it at #46,062 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#46,062
National first-name rank
People counted
146
146 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.0
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
60.3% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Walley
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Walley is White at 60.3%. The next largest groups are Black (19.2%) and Hispanic (6.8%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Walley described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Walley at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White60.3% · 88
- Black or African American19.2% · 28
- Hispanic or Latino6.8% · 10
- Asian and Pacific Islander6.2% · 9
- Two or more races4.1% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native3.4% · 5
Popularity
Walley: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Walley from the 1920s through to the 1970s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1960s, with 20 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1960s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Walley by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Walley during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Walley
The name Walley is believed to have its origins in Old English, derived from the word "wealhwaru," which translates to "foreigner" or "stranger." This suggests that the name may have been initially used to refer to individuals who were not native to the region or community.
During the Anglo-Saxon period in Britain, which spanned from the 5th to the 11th centuries, the name Walley was primarily found in the regions of Wessex and Mercia. It is thought to have been particularly prevalent among the ruling classes and nobility, possibly as a way to distinguish those of foreign descent or lineage.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Walley can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of land ownership commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. This historical document mentions several individuals bearing this name, indicating its widespread use during the Norman period in England.
Throughout the Middle Ages, the name Walley appeared in various historical records, often associated with prominent figures and landowners. One notable individual was Walley de Ferrers, a Norman nobleman who lived in the 12th century and held significant estates in Derbyshire and Leicestershire.
In the 14th century, a Franciscan friar named Walley Burley gained recognition for his philosophical and theological writings, contributing to the intellectual discourse of his time. His works, such as the "De Vita Philosophorum" (On the Life of Philosophers), have been preserved and studied by scholars.
Another individual of historical significance was Walley Mole, a prominent merchant and alderman in the city of London during the 15th century. He played an active role in the city's governance and was highly respected within the commercial community.
During the Renaissance period, the name Walley appeared in various literary works and plays, reflecting its enduring presence in English society. One such example is the character of Walley Bagot in William Shakespeare's play "Henry IV, Part 2," which was written around 1597.
In the 17th century, Walley Chamberlain, an English colonist and trader, made a significant impact in the American colonies. He was involved in establishing trade routes and settlements in what is now the state of Connecticut, contributing to the growth and development of the region.
These examples illustrate the rich history and diverse backgrounds associated with the name Walley over the centuries, spanning various regions, professions, and social strata. While its usage may have evolved or diminished in modern times, the name carries a fascinating legacy that reflects the multifaceted nature of human societies and cultural interactions.
People
Walley + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Walley as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with W
Other first names starting with W with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Walley: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Walley?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 39 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Walley going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 8,788,573 US residents.
Is Walley a common name?
We classify Walley as "Very Rare". It ranks above 50.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 55 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Walley most popular?
The single biggest year for Walley was 1953, when 9 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Walley is about 66 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Walley in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 146 people with the name Walley, or 0.05 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #46,062 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Walley in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Walley?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Walley leans strongly male. 145 people counted with this name were male (98.0%), compared with 3 female bearers (2.0%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Walley?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Walley is White at 60.3%. The next largest groups are Black (19.2%) and Hispanic (6.8%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Walley most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Walley in the 2020 Census, accounting for 60.3% (88 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Walley in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Walley a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Walley in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Walley still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Walley in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Walley can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many Americans are named Walley?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.