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

Walley, 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 Walley surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Walley in America

Walley is the 7078th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Walley surname appeared 4,730 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 Walley.

We can also compare 2010 data for Walley 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 Walley

The surname Walley is of English origin, deriving from the Old English 'walh', meaning a stranger or foreigner, specifically used to refer to Britons and Celts who lived among the Anglo-Saxons. It was later adopted as a personal name during the Middle Ages.

The name Walley is believed to have originated in Staffordshire, England, in the 12th century. It was often used as a locational surname, referring to someone who lived in or near the town of Walley, which is now known as Wolley or Woolley.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Walley can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Staffordshire from 1190, which mentions a William de Walley. Additionally, the Hundred Rolls of 1273 include references to people with the surname Walley in various counties, including Oxfordshire and Bedfordshire.

In the 14th century, the name Walley appeared in the Subsidy Rolls of Staffordshire, where several individuals with this surname were recorded as landowners or taxpayers. One notable entry is that of John Walley, who was listed as a resident of Wolley in 1327.

The Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landowners and properties in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, does not contain any direct references to the surname Walley. However, it does mention several place names that may have contributed to the formation of this surname, such as Walhalehyrd in Berkshire and Wallingas in Norfolk.

Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the surname Walley. One of the earliest was Sir John Walley (c. 1335-1408), a Member of Parliament for Staffordshire and a prominent landowner in the region. Another was Thomas Walley (c. 1470-1542), an English priest and theologian who served as the Warden of All Souls College, Oxford.

Other notable bearers of this surname include Sir William Walley (1584-1668), an English judge and Member of Parliament during the reign of Charles I; John Walley (1618-1674), an English puritan minister and author; and Thomas Walley (1759-1804), an English engraver and painter.

The surname Walley has also been associated with various place names throughout England, such as Walley in Cheshire, Walley Bridge in Staffordshire, and Walley Grange in Shropshire. These locations may have contributed to the spread and adoption of the surname in different parts of the country.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Walley

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

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

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

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