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

Wallander, 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 Wallander surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Wallander in America

Wallander is the 35447th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Wallander surname appeared 635 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Wallander.

We can also compare 2010 data for Wallander 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 Wallander

The surname Wallander is believed to have originated in Sweden, with its earliest known references dating back to the 16th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old Norse word "vallari," which means "wanderer" or "traveler." This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who was known for their nomadic lifestyle or perhaps a merchant who frequently traveled for trade.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Wallander name can be found in the Swedish census records of 1540, where a man named Olof Wallander was listed as a resident of Malmö. The name also appears in various church records and legal documents from the same period in various parts of southern Sweden, including Skåne and Blekinge.

In the 17th century, a notable figure named Nils Wallander (1642-1708) emerged as a prominent Lutheran clergyman and theologian. He served as the Bishop of Linköping and was known for his influential writings on religious matters. Another individual named Johan Wallander (1781-1856) gained recognition as a Swedish botanist and professor at the University of Uppsala.

The Wallander name has also been linked to certain place names in Sweden, such as the town of Wallanders in the municipality of Tingsryd, Småland. It is believed that this place name may have been derived from the surname itself or vice versa, further reinforcing the name's Swedish origins.

In the literary world, the Wallander surname gained significant attention through the popular crime fiction series featuring the character Kurt Wallander, created by the Swedish novelist Henning Mankell (1948-2015). This fictional detective has been portrayed in numerous novels, as well as television and film adaptations, further popularizing the name globally.

Other notable individuals with the Wallander surname include Gösta Wallander (1897-1983), a Swedish track and field athlete who competed in the 1920 and 1924 Olympics, and Björn Wallander (born 1964), a Swedish economist and professor at the Stockholm School of Economics.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Wallander

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

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

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

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