2000
#1,343
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 24,122
First available Census row
Per 100,000 8.94
Uncommon Last name
Walden
From an English place name meaning "valley of the Britons," or from a German place name meaning "forested valley."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 26,427 Americans carry the last name Walden. That puts it at #1,510 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 7.71 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 12,970 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Walden 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 Walden with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
26K
1 in 12,970
Census rank
#1,510
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
7.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
23K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 23,046 bearers of the surname Walden in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 7.71 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1510th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Walden, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.8%. The next largest groups are Black (15.9%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Walden
The surname Walden has its origins in England and can be traced back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old English words 'weald' meaning 'forest' and 'denu' meaning 'valley', referring to people who lived in a wooded valley or forest clearing.
Walden is a locational surname, meaning it originated from a place name. The earliest recorded instance of the name Walden appears in the Pipe Rolls of Essex in 1166, where a person named William de Walda is mentioned. This early spelling variation suggests the name was likely derived from Walden, a town in Essex.
The Domesday Book, a comprehensive record of landholdings in England compiled in 1086, does not contain any direct references to the surname Walden. However, it does mention several places with similar names, such as Waldene in Hertfordshire and Waleden in Essex, indicating the name's geographical origins.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Walden was Roger de Walden, who lived in the late 13th century and served as the Archbishop of Canterbury from 1395 to 1397. Another notable figure was Sir William de Walden, who was born in the late 13th century and served as the Lord Mayor of London in 1370.
During the 15th century, the surname Walden appeared in various spellings, including Waldeyn, Waldene, and Walden. One notable bearer of the name from this period was Thomas Walden (c. 1420 - c. 1490), an English priest and theologian who served as the Provincial Minister of the Carmelite Order in England.
In the 16th century, the surname Walden continued to be found in various parts of England. One notable figure was Ralph Walden (c. 1516 - 1586), an English politician and Member of Parliament who represented Huntingdonshire in the House of Commons during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.
Over the centuries, the surname Walden has been associated with various places in England, including Walden in Essex, Saffron Walden in Essex, and Walden in Hertfordshire. While the name has remained relatively uncommon throughout history, it has been borne by several notable individuals across various fields, reflecting its enduring presence in England.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Walden
Among Census respondents with the surname Walden, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.8%. The next largest groups are Black (15.9%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Walden 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 Walden surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White74.8% · 17,248
- Black or African American15.9% · 3,655
- Two or more races4.7% · 1,086
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 726
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 200
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 131
Timeline
Historical Census data for Walden
Walden 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
#1,435
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 24,821
+699 bearers (+2.9%)
Per 100,000 8.41
Rank movement Down 92 places
2020
#1,510
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 23,046
-1,775 bearers (-7.2%)
Per 100,000 7.71
Rank movement Down 75 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,343 | 24,122 | 8.94 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,435 | 24,821 | 8.41 | +699 bearers (+2.9%) | Down 92 places |
| 2020 | #1,510 | 23,046 | 7.71 | -1,775 bearers (-7.2%) | Down 75 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 Walden 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 | #1,435 | #1,510 | -5.2% |
| Count | 24,821 | 23,046 | -7.2% |
| Per 100K | 8.41 | 7.71 | -8.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Walden bearers went from 24,821 to 23,046 (-7.2% change). The surname moved down 75 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,435 to #1,510.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Walden
FAQ
Walden surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Walden?
Name Census estimates that about 26,427 living Americans carry the surname Walden. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 12,970 residents.
How common is Walden?
Walden ranks #1,510 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 7.71 per 100,000 residents, which is about 8 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 23,046 people with the surname Walden. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (26,427), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 7.71 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 7.71 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 8 of them to have the surname Walden.
Has Walden become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Walden went from 24,821 recorded bearers to 23,046. That is a decrease of 1,775 (-7.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,435 to #1,510.
What does the Census say about the background of Walden?
Among Census respondents with the surname Walden, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.8%. The next largest groups are Black (15.9%) and Two or More Races (4.7%). 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 Walden in the 2020 Census, accounting for 74.8% (17,248 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Walden appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (74.8%), Black (15.9%), Two or More Races (4.7%). 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 Walden (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 Walden mean?
From an English place name meaning "valley of the Britons," or from a German place name meaning "forested valley." 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 Walden (7.71 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 are called Walden?
You can see how many people have the last name Walden on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.