2000
#134,037
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Waelti
A Swiss German surname originating from the Germanic personal name Walto.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 138 Americans carry the last name Waelti. That puts it at #142,049 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,483,727 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Waelti surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
138
1 in 2,483,727
Census rank
#142,049
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
120
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 120 bearers of the surname Waelti in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142049th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Waelti, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.0%. The next largest groups are Black (1.7%) and Hispanic (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Waelti
The surname "WAELTI" is believed to have originated in Switzerland during the late medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Old Swiss German word "walten," meaning "to rule" or "to govern," suggesting that the name may have been originally borne by someone in a position of authority or governance.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Basel City Records of 1437, where a certain Hans Waelti is mentioned as a citizen of the city. This suggests that the name had already become established in the region by the 15th century.
In the 16th century, the name appears in various Swiss records, such as the Lucerne Burgher Rolls of 1547, which lists a Peter Waelti among the residents of the city. During this period, variations in spelling were common, with the name appearing as "Walti," "Waelty," and "Welti" in different documents.
A notable bearer of the name was Jakob Waelti, a Swiss Protestant theologian and reformer who lived from 1535 to 1611. He played a significant role in the Reformation movement in Switzerland and wrote several influential works on theology and church governance.
In the 17th century, the name appears in the records of the Canton of Bern, where a Johannes Waelti is recorded as a landowner in the village of Rüegsau in 1642. This suggests that the name had spread to different regions of Switzerland by this time.
Another prominent figure with the surname was Johann Friedrich Waelti, a Swiss painter and engraver who lived from 1749 to 1816. He is best known for his landscape paintings and etchings depicting the Alpine regions of Switzerland.
As the centuries progressed, the name continued to be found throughout Switzerland, with bearers of the surname appearing in various professions and walks of life. In the 19th century, a notable individual was Eduard Waelti, a Swiss politician and lawyer who served as a member of the National Council from 1869 to 1872.
While the surname "WAELTI" has its roots firmly planted in Switzerland, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and emigration. However, its origins can be traced back to the medieval period in the Swiss regions, where it likely emerged as a name associated with authority and governance.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Waelti
Among Census respondents with the surname Waelti, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.0%. The next largest groups are Black (1.7%) and Hispanic (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Waelti bearers 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 surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Waelti surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.0% · 114
- Black or African American1.7% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Waelti
Waelti appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#129,825
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 131
+15 bearers (+12.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 4,212 places
2020
#142,049
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
-11 bearers (-8.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 12,224 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #134,037 | 116 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #129,825 | 131 | 0.04 | +15 bearers (+12.9%) | Up 4,212 places |
| 2020 | #142,049 | 120 | 0.04 | -11 bearers (-8.4%) | Down 12,224 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Waelti surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #129,825 | #142,049 | -9.4% |
| Count | 131 | 120 | -8.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 0.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Waelti bearers went from 131 to 120 (-8.4% change). The surname moved down 12,224 positions in the national ranking, going from #129,825 to #142,049.
FAQ
Waelti surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Waelti?
Name Census estimates that about 138 living Americans carry the surname Waelti. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,483,727 residents.
How common is Waelti?
Waelti ranks #142,049 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 120 people with the surname Waelti. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (138), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Waelti.
Has Waelti become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Waelti went from 131 recorded bearers to 120. That is a decrease of 11 (-8.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #129,825 to #142,049.
What does the Census say about the background of Waelti?
Among Census respondents with the surname Waelti, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.0%. The next largest groups are Black (1.7%) and Hispanic (1.7%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Waelti in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.0% (114 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Waelti appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.0%), Black (1.7%), Hispanic (1.7%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Waelti (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Waelti mean?
A Swiss German surname originating from the Germanic personal name Walto. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Waelti (0.04 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the surname Waelti?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.