2000
#2,929
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,279
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.18
Uncommon Last name
Wallis
Derived from a place name meaning "Welsh" or "foreigner," likely referring to someone from Wales or with Welsh ancestry.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 12,578 Americans carry the last name Wallis. That puts it at #3,209 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.67 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 27,250 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wallis 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 Wallis with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
13K
1 in 27,250
Census rank
#3,209
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
11K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 10,969 bearers of the surname Wallis in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.67 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3209th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wallis, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wallis
Among Census respondents with the surname Wallis, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Wallis 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 Wallis surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.7% · 9,509
- Hispanic or Latino4.3% · 476
- Two or more races4.2% · 465
- Black or African American2.8% · 308
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 108
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 103
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wallis
Wallis 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
#3,104
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,594
+315 bearers (+2.8%)
Per 100,000 3.93
Rank movement Down 175 places
2020
#3,209
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,969
-625 bearers (-5.4%)
Per 100,000 3.67
Rank movement Down 105 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,929 | 11,279 | 4.18 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,104 | 11,594 | 3.93 | +315 bearers (+2.8%) | Down 175 places |
| 2020 | #3,209 | 10,969 | 3.67 | -625 bearers (-5.4%) | Down 105 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 Wallis 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 | #3,104 | #3,209 | -3.4% |
| Count | 11,594 | 10,969 | -5.4% |
| Per 100K | 3.93 | 3.67 | -6.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wallis bearers went from 11,594 to 10,969 (-5.4% change). The surname moved down 105 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,104 to #3,209.
FAQ
Wallis surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wallis?
Name Census estimates that about 12,578 living Americans carry the surname Wallis. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 27,250 residents.
How common is Wallis?
Wallis ranks #3,209 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.67 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 10,969 people with the surname Wallis. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (12,578), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.67 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.67 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Wallis.
Has Wallis become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wallis went from 11,594 recorded bearers to 10,969. That is a decrease of 625 (-5.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,104 to #3,209.
What does the Census say about the background of Wallis?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wallis, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Wallis in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.7% (9,509 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wallis appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.7%), Hispanic (4.3%), Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Wallis (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 Wallis mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "Welsh" or "foreigner," likely referring to someone from Wales or with Welsh ancestry. 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 Wallis (3.67 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 Americans have the surname Wallis?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.