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

Walch, 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 Walch surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Walch in America

Walch is the 14902nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Walch surname appeared 1,986 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 Walch.

We can also compare 2010 data for Walch 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 Walch

The surname Walch has its origins in the German language and can be traced back to the 13th century in the region of Bavaria, Germany. The name is believed to be derived from the Old German word "walh," which referred to a person of Roman or Celtic origin or descent. It was often used as a descriptive name to identify individuals who lived in areas populated by non-Germanic people.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Walch can be found in the Codex Traditionum Corbeiensium, a medieval manuscript from the Corvey Abbey in Westphalia, Germany, which dates back to the 9th century. The name is also mentioned in several other historical documents from the region, including the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae.

In the 14th century, the Walch surname began to appear in various records from the city of Nuremberg, which was a prominent trading center at the time. One notable figure from this period was Hans Walch, a merchant and member of the city council, who lived from around 1380 to 1452.

During the 16th century, the name Walch became more widespread across Germany and neighboring regions. One prominent individual was Johann Walch, a Lutheran theologian and scholar who lived from 1693 to 1768. He is known for his contributions to the study of church history and his extensive collection of works on the Reformation.

Another notable figure was Georg Walch, a German philosopher and theologian who lived from 1779 to 1857. He was a professor at the University of Jena and made significant contributions to the field of philosophy, particularly in the areas of ethics and metaphysics.

In the 19th century, the Walch name gained recognition through the work of Johann Walch, a German linguist and philologist who lived from 1812 to 1887. He specialized in the study of Romance languages and made significant contributions to the field of comparative linguistics.

One of the most well-known individuals with the surname Walch was the Austrian composer and conductor Anton Walch, who lived from 1857 to 1933. He was a prominent figure in the Viennese musical scene and composed several operas and orchestral works.

While the Walch surname has its roots in Germany, it has since spread to other parts of Europe and beyond, with variations in spelling and pronunciation occurring over time. However, the name remains closely tied to its German heritage and the rich history of the regions where it first emerged.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Walch

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

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 Walch 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 Walch 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 Walch was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!