2000
#6,384
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,910
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.82
Rare Last name
Wald
A topographic surname referring to someone who lived near or in a forest.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,626 Americans carry the last name Wald. That puts it at #7,892 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.35 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 74,093 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wald 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 Wald with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.6K
1 in 74,093
Census rank
#7,892
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,034 bearers of the surname Wald in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.35 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7892nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wald, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wald
The surname WALD originated in Germany and dates back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old German word "wald" which means "forest" or "wooded area". The name likely referred to someone who lived near or in a forested area.
In the early days, the WALD surname was found primarily in regions of Germany such as Bavaria, Saxony, and Westphalia. Variations in spelling included Waldt, Walde, and Walth. The name appears in some early German records and manuscripts from the 13th and 14th centuries.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the WALD surname is from a 1295 document in the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, which mentions a "Heinricus Walde". Another early example is a 1327 record from the city of Nuremberg that references a "Conrad Wald".
Over the centuries, several notable individuals have borne the WALD surname. These include Johann Wald (1556-1637), a German Lutheran theologian and professor at the University of Jena. Another was Johann Gottfried Wald (1686-1766), a German organist and composer from Erfurt.
In the 19th century, there was Friedrich Wald (1817-1870), a German painter and lithographer from Nuremberg. Additionally, there was Eduard Wald (1861-1935), a German author and playwright born in Königsberg.
Another prominent figure was Oskar Wald (1879-1955), an Austrian conductor and composer who worked extensively in Germany and Austria during the early 20th century.
The WALD surname has also been associated with various place names in Germany, such as Waldau, Waldeck, and Waldsee, which likely contributed to the name's origins and spread.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wald
Among Census respondents with the surname Wald, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Wald 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 Wald surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.4% · 3,688
- Two or more races3.1% · 124
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 122
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 46
- Black or African American0.9% · 38
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 16
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wald
Wald 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
#8,172
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,057
-853 bearers (-17.4%)
Per 100,000 1.38
Rank movement Down 1,788 places
2020
#7,892
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,034
-23 bearers (-0.6%)
Per 100,000 1.35
Rank movement Up 280 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,384 | 4,910 | 1.82 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,172 | 4,057 | 1.38 | -853 bearers (-17.4%) | Down 1,788 places |
| 2020 | #7,892 | 4,034 | 1.35 | -23 bearers (-0.6%) | Up 280 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 Wald 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 | #8,172 | #7,892 | 3.4% |
| Count | 4,057 | 4,034 | -0.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.38 | 1.35 | -2.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wald bearers went from 4,057 to 4,034 (-0.6% change). The surname moved up 280 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,172 to #7,892.
FAQ
Wald surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wald?
Name Census estimates that about 4,626 living Americans carry the surname Wald. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 74,093 residents.
How common is Wald?
Wald ranks #7,892 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.35 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 4,034 people with the surname Wald. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,626), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.35 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.35 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 Wald.
Has Wald become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wald went from 4,057 recorded bearers to 4,034. That is a decrease of 23 (-0.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #8,172 to #7,892.
What does the Census say about the background of Wald?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wald, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Wald in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.4% (3,688 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wald appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.4%), Two or More Races (3.1%), Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Wald (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 Wald mean?
A topographic surname referring to someone who lived near or in a forest. 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 Wald (1.35 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 Wald?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.