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

Walker, 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 Walker surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Walker in America

Walker is the 31st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Walker surname appeared 523,129 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 177 people would have the surname Walker.

We can also compare 2010 data for Walker 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 Walker

The surname Walker is an English occupational name that originated in the Middle Ages. It derives from the Old English word 'wealcan', meaning to walk or roll. The name referred to a fuller, someone who walked on cloth to thicken and clean it.

Walker was first recorded in the early 13th century. One of the earliest known bearers was Richard le Walker, mentioned in the Assize Rolls of Staffordshire in 1199. The surname also appeared in the Hundred Rolls of 1273 as Willam le Walker in Oxfordshire.

In medieval times, the name was often spelled in various ways, such as Walkar, Walcker, Waulker, and Waulcker. These variations reflect the different regional dialects and spellings of the time.

The Walker surname is found in several early records, including the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as a place name in various locations across England.

Notable people with the Walker surname include Sir William Walker (1551-1637), an English ironmaster and member of Parliament; George Walker (1618-1690), an English Protestant clergyman and defender of Derry during the Siege of Derry in 1689; and Benjamin Walker (1753-1818), an American Revolutionary War soldier and frontiersman.

Other famous Walkers include William Walker (1824-1860), an American physician, lawyer, and soldier of fortune who aimed to establish an English-speaking empire in Central America; and Mary Edwards Walker (1832-1919), an American feminist, abolitionist, and surgeon who served as an assistant surgeon in the American Civil War and was awarded the Medal of Honor.

Throughout history, the Walker surname has been associated with various occupations and professions, reflecting its origins as an occupational name. It has also been linked to place names in different parts of England, where families with the name may have lived or originated.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Walker

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

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

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

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