2000
#130,443
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Walleser
From a German location or occupation related to walls or fortifications.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 136 Americans carry the last name Walleser. That puts it at #142,788 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,520,252 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Walleser 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.
Bearers in the US
136
1 in 2,520,252
Census rank
#142,788
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
119
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 119 bearers of the surname Walleser in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142788th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Walleser, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Walleser
The surname WALLESER is believed to have originated in Germany, specifically in the regions of Bavaria and Swabia. It likely emerged during the medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century. The name is thought to have derived from the Old High German word "walah," which referred to a person of Romanized descent or someone who spoke a Romance language.
One of the earliest recorded references to the WALLESER name can be found in the archives of the city of Augsburg, dating back to the late 15th century. Here, a certain Hans Walleser is mentioned as a merchant and landowner. Another early mention of the name appears in the records of the town of Ulm, where a family by the name of Walleser is documented as residing in the 16th century.
In the 17th century, the WALLESER name appears to have spread beyond the confines of Bavaria and Swabia. Historical records from this period indicate that individuals bearing this surname could be found in various parts of Germany, as well as in neighboring regions such as Switzerland and Austria.
One notable individual with the WALLESER surname was Johann Baptist Walleser, a Catholic theologian and philosopher who lived from 1749 to 1824. He was born in Oberkirchberg, in the region of Swabia, and spent much of his career as a professor at the University of Freiburg im Breisgau.
Another prominent figure with this surname was Karl Walleser, a German artist and illustrator who lived from 1852 to 1936. He was renowned for his intricate woodcut illustrations, which often depicted scenes from German folklore and mythology.
In the 19th century, the WALLESER name also gained some prominence in the field of education. One notable individual from this period was Wilhelm Walleser, a German philologist and scholar of Sanskrit who lived from 1846 to 1928. He taught at various universities in Germany and made significant contributions to the study of Indian languages and literature.
Moving into the 20th century, one cannot overlook the achievements of Siegfried Walleser, a German physicist and inventor who lived from 1905 to 1996. He is best known for his work on the development of radar technology during World War II, which played a crucial role in the advancement of modern electronics and communications.
While the WALLESER name may have originated in a specific region of Germany, it has since spread across the globe, with individuals bearing this surname found in various parts of the world. However, the name's roots can be traced back to the medieval period in southern Germany, where it first emerged as a distinctive marker of identity and lineage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Walleser
Among Census respondents with the surname Walleser, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Walleser 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 Walleser surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.8% · 108
- Two or more races3.4% · 4
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 3
- Black or African American1.7% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Walleser
Walleser 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
#141,140
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
-2 bearers (-1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 10,697 places
2020
#142,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
+1 bearers (+0.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 1,648 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #130,443 | 120 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #141,140 | 118 | 0.04 | -2 bearers (-1.7%) | Down 10,697 places |
| 2020 | #142,788 | 119 | 0.04 | +1 bearers (+0.8%) | Down 1,648 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 Walleser 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 | #141,140 | #142,788 | -1.2% |
| Count | 118 | 119 | 0.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -0.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Walleser bearers went from 118 to 119 (+0.8% change). The surname moved down 1,648 positions in the national ranking, going from #141,140 to #142,788.
FAQ
Walleser surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Walleser?
Name Census estimates that about 136 living Americans carry the surname Walleser. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,520,252 residents.
How common is Walleser?
Walleser ranks #142,788 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 119 people with the surname Walleser. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (136), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Walleser.
Has Walleser become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Walleser went from 118 recorded bearers to 119. That is an increase of 1 (+0.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #141,140 to #142,788.
What does the Census say about the background of Walleser?
Among Census respondents with the surname Walleser, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (2.5%). 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 Walleser in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.8% (108 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Walleser appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.8%), Two or More Races (3.4%), Hispanic (2.5%). 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 Walleser (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 Walleser mean?
From a German location or occupation related to walls or fortifications. 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 Walleser (0.04 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 common is the surname Walleser?
Find out how many Americans have the surname Walleser on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.