Find out how popular the last name Walburn is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Walburn.

Walburn, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Walburn surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Walburn in America

Walburn is the 18253rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Walburn surname appeared 1,522 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Walburn.

We can also compare 2010 data for Walburn to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Walburn

The surname Walburn originated in England, and its earliest recorded use dates back to the 13th century. It is a locational name derived from the place name Walburn, which means "a stream in a wood" or "a stream by a wall" in Old English. The first part of the name, "wal" or "wall," comes from the Old English word "weall," meaning a wall or rampart, while the second part, "burn," comes from the Old English word "burna," meaning a stream or brook.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Walburn can be found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which lists a Richard de Walburn in Yorkshire. This suggests that the name originated in the northern county of Yorkshire, where there are several places with similar names, such as Walburn and Walburn Gate.

In the 14th century, the name appears in various historical records, including the Poll Tax Returns of 1379, which mentions a John de Walburn in Yorkshire. This document provides valuable insight into the distribution and prevalence of surnames during that era.

Over the centuries, the name Walburn has been spelled in various ways, including Walborne, Walburne, and Walbourn. One notable bearer of this name was John Walburn (c. 1550 - 1619), an English clergyman and academic who served as the Master of Peterhouse, Cambridge, from 1604 until his death.

Another individual with this surname was William Walburn (c. 1610 - 1680), an English merchant and politician who served as the Mayor of Newcastle upon Tyne in 1668. He was a prominent figure in the city's commercial and political circles during the 17th century.

In the 18th century, the name Walburn was associated with the textile industry in Yorkshire. One example is Richard Walburn (1721 - 1798), a successful wool merchant and landowner in the town of Skipton.

In the 19th century, the name Walburn gained recognition in the field of engineering and manufacturing. Thomas Walburn (1834 - 1912) was a renowned British engineer and inventor who patented several innovations in textile machinery, contributing significantly to the industrial revolution.

Finally, a more recent bearer of the surname Walburn was William Walburn Ellison (1888 - 1976), an English businessman and philanthropist who founded the Ellison Trust, a charitable organization dedicated to promoting education and social welfare in the North East of England.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Walburn

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Walburn.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Walburn was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Walburn has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Walburn was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Walburn, please contact us.

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