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

Wallis, 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 Wallis surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Wallis in America

Wallis is the 3104th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Wallis surname appeared 11,594 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 4 people would have the surname Wallis.

We can also compare 2010 data for Wallis 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 Wallis

The surname Wallis originated in England and is derived from the Old English term "Wallisc" meaning "foreign" or "Celtic". It was initially used as a descriptive surname for people of Celtic or Welsh descent living in England.

The earliest recorded instance of the name dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Wallensis". This Latin form was used to refer to individuals of Welsh origin residing in various parts of England. The name was particularly prevalent in areas bordering Wales, such as Shropshire, Herefordshire, and Gloucestershire.

In the 13th century, the name was often spelled as "Waleys" or "Waleys", reflecting the Middle English pronunciation. During this period, the name appeared in various records, including the Hundred Rolls of 1273, where it was listed as "Waleys" in Oxfordshire.

One of the earliest known bearers of the name was William Wallis, a prominent English mathematician and clergyman born around 1616. He made significant contributions to the field of mathematics and is remembered for his work on cycloids and conic sections.

Another notable individual with the surname Wallis was Samuel Wallis, an English navigator and explorer born in 1728. In 1767, he led an expedition to the Pacific Ocean, during which he discovered several islands, including Tahiti.

John Wallis, born in 1668, was an English grammarian and philologist who is best known for his work titled "Grammatica Linguae Anglicanae". His scholarly contributions to the study of the English language were highly influential in his time.

In the 18th century, the name Wallis was also associated with places, as evidenced by the town of Wallisdown in Dorset, England. This place name is believed to have derived from the surname, reflecting the presence of Wallis families in the area.

Another notable bearer of the surname was Barnes Wallis, an English scientist and engineer born in 1887. He is renowned for his work during World War II, particularly for inventing the "bouncing bomb" used in the famous Dambusters raid on German dams.

Throughout its history, the surname Wallis has been associated with individuals from diverse fields, including mathematics, exploration, linguistics, and engineering, reflecting the rich heritage and contributions of those bearing this name.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Wallis

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

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

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

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