2000
#557
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 54,401
First available Census row
Per 100,000 20.17
Uncommon Last name
Wall
An occupational surname referring to a mason or builder who constructs walls.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 59,678 Americans carry the last name Wall. That puts it at #635 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 17.41 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 5,743 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wall 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 Wall with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
60K
1 in 5,743
Census rank
#635
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
17.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
52K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 52,042 bearers of the surname Wall in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 17.41 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 635th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wall, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.7%. The next largest groups are Black (7.5%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wall
The surname WALL is an English topographic name that originated in the Middle Ages. It derives from the Old English word 'wall', referring to a defensive wall or rampart. The name likely arose as a way to identify someone who lived near or worked on a wall or fortification.
The earliest recorded instance of the WALL surname dates back to the 13th century. In 1273, a Robert de la Walle was mentioned in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire, England. This early spelling variation highlights the name's topographic origins.
The Domesday Book of 1086, a great survey of England commissioned by William the Conqueror, contains several place names that may have given rise to the WALL surname. These include Wall in Staffordshire, Walles in Worcestershire, and Walle in Norfolk.
Notable individuals with the WALL surname throughout history include John Wall (c.1585-1666), an English writer and clergyman who published several religious works. Thomas Wall (1593-1677) was an English Catholic priest and missionary who served in England during the turbulent times of the English Reformation.
In the United States, one of the earliest recorded instances of the WALL surname is that of John Wall (1608-1688), an early settler in Virginia. He served as a member of the Virginia House of Burgesses and was a prominent figure in the colony.
Another notable bearer of the WALL surname was Richard Wall (1694-1778), an Irish politician and statesman who served as Prime Minister of Ireland from 1756 to 1757. He played a significant role in Irish politics during the 18th century.
Walter Wall (1701-1783) was a British military officer and colonial administrator who served as Lieutenant Governor of Jamaica from 1766 to 1768. He had a distinguished career in the British Army and was involved in various military campaigns.
The WALL surname has a rich history and has been borne by individuals from diverse backgrounds and professions throughout the centuries. Its origins can be traced back to the defensive walls and fortifications of medieval England, reflecting the topographic nature of many English surnames.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wall
Among Census respondents with the surname Wall, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.7%. The next largest groups are Black (7.5%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Wall 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 Wall surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.7% · 43,539
- Black or African American7.5% · 3,888
- Two or more races3.9% · 2,024
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 1,732
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 435
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 424
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wall
Wall 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
#631
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 53,794
-607 bearers (-1.1%)
Per 100,000 18.24
Rank movement Down 74 places
2020
#635
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 52,042
-1,752 bearers (-3.3%)
Per 100,000 17.41
Rank movement Down 4 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #557 | 54,401 | 20.17 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #631 | 53,794 | 18.24 | -607 bearers (-1.1%) | Down 74 places |
| 2020 | #635 | 52,042 | 17.41 | -1,752 bearers (-3.3%) | Down 4 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 Wall 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 | #631 | #635 | -0.6% |
| Count | 53,794 | 52,042 | -3.3% |
| Per 100K | 18.24 | 17.41 | -4.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wall bearers went from 53,794 to 52,042 (-3.3% change). The surname moved down 4 positions in the national ranking, going from #631 to #635.
FAQ
Wall surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wall?
Name Census estimates that about 59,678 living Americans carry the surname Wall. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 5,743 residents.
How common is Wall?
Wall ranks #635 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 17.41 per 100,000 residents, which is about 17 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 52,042 people with the surname Wall. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (59,678), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 17.41 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 17.41 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 17 of them to have the surname Wall.
Has Wall become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wall went from 53,794 recorded bearers to 52,042. That is a decrease of 1,752 (-3.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #631 to #635.
What does the Census say about the background of Wall?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wall, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.7%. The next largest groups are Black (7.5%) and Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Wall in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.7% (43,539 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wall appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.7%), Black (7.5%), Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Wall (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 Wall mean?
An occupational surname referring to a mason or builder who constructs walls. 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 Wall (17.41 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 share the surname Wall?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.