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

Waldo, 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 Waldo surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Waldo in America

Waldo is the 7120th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Waldo surname appeared 4,699 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Waldo.

We can also compare 2010 data for Waldo 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 Waldo

The surname Waldo originated in England, with its earliest recorded use dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old English word "weald," meaning a wood or forest, and the suffix "-eri," denoting a person or place associated with something. The name likely referred to someone who lived near or worked in a wooded area.

One of the earliest known references to the name Waldo can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landowners and property in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The name appears in various spellings, such as Walda, Walde, and Walde.

The Waldo surname has been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One of the earliest recorded individuals with this name was Ralph Waldo, who lived in the 13th century and was a prominent landowner and nobleman in Buckinghamshire, England.

Another notable figure was Sir Edmund Waldo, an English soldier and Member of Parliament who lived from 1588 to 1668. He played a significant role in the English Civil War, serving as a commander in the Parliamentarian army.

In the realm of literature, the name Waldo gained fame through the character of the same name in the children's book series "Where's Waldo?" written and illustrated by Martin Handford. The first book was published in 1987, and the series became a worldwide phenomenon, with Waldo's iconic red-and-white striped shirt and glasses becoming instantly recognizable.

The Waldo surname has also been associated with place names in England, such as Waldo Priory in Bedfordshire and Waldo's Field in Derbyshire. These place names likely derive from the same Old English root as the surname itself.

Another prominent individual with the Waldo surname was Ralph Waldo Emerson, the renowned American essayist, philosopher, and poet, who lived from 1803 to 1882. Although he was not of English descent, his surname shared the same origins as the English Waldo name.

Throughout history, the Waldo surname has been recorded with various spellings, including Walde, Walden, and Waldoe, reflecting the fluid nature of surname spellings in earlier times. While the name has English roots, it has been adopted and adapted by families in various parts of the world.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Waldo

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

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

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

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