2000
#14,187
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,942
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.72
Rare Last name
Walch
An occupational surname for a fuller, referring to someone who cleaned and thickened wool by pressing it.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,310 Americans carry the last name Walch. That puts it at #14,292 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.67 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 148,379 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Walch 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Walch with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.3K
1 in 148,379
Census rank
#14,292
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,014 bearers of the surname Walch in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.67 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14292nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Walch, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Black (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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 The name is also mentioned in several other historical documents from the region, including the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae.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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Walch
Among Census respondents with the surname Walch, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Black (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Walch 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 Walch surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.9% · 1,830
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 73
- Black or African American2.3% · 47
- Two or more races2.0% · 41
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 19
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Walch
Walch 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
#14,902
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,986
+44 bearers (+2.3%)
Per 100,000 0.67
Rank movement Down 715 places
2020
#14,292
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,014
+28 bearers (+1.4%)
Per 100,000 0.67
Rank movement Up 610 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,187 | 1,942 | 0.72 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,902 | 1,986 | 0.67 | +44 bearers (+2.3%) | Down 715 places |
| 2020 | #14,292 | 2,014 | 0.67 | +28 bearers (+1.4%) | Up 610 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 Walch 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 | #14,902 | #14,292 | 4.1% |
| Count | 1,986 | 2,014 | 1.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.67 | 0.67 | 0.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Walch bearers went from 1,986 to 2,014 (+1.4% change). The surname moved up 610 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,902 to #14,292.
FAQ
Walch surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Walch?
Name Census estimates that about 2,310 living Americans carry the surname Walch. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 148,379 residents.
How common is Walch?
Walch ranks #14,292 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.67 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,014 people with the surname Walch. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,310), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.67 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.67 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Walch.
Has Walch become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Walch went from 1,986 recorded bearers to 2,014. That is an increase of 28 (+1.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #14,902 to #14,292.
What does the Census say about the background of Walch?
Among Census respondents with the surname Walch, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Black (2.3%). 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 Walch in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.9% (1,830 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Walch appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.9%), Hispanic (3.6%), Black (2.3%). 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 Walch (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 Walch mean?
An occupational surname for a fuller, referring to someone who cleaned and thickened wool by pressing it. 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 Walch (0.67 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 common is the surname Walch?
Want to know how many people have the surname Walch? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.