2000
#14,862
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,828
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.68
Rare Last name
Wallner
A German surname derived from the Germanic word "wal" meaning foreign or stranger.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,047 Americans carry the last name Wallner. That puts it at #15,743 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.60 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 167,442 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wallner 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
2.0K
1 in 167,442
Census rank
#15,743
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,785 bearers of the surname Wallner in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.60 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15743rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wallner, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wallner
The surname Wallner is of German origin, derived from the Middle High German word "walner," which means a person from Wallen, a region located in the eastern part of present-day Germany. The earliest recorded instances of this surname can be traced back to the 13th century.
The name is believed to have originated as a locational surname, indicating that the first bearer of the name hailed from the area of Wallen. It is possible that the name evolved from an earlier spelling, such as "Wallener" or "Wallner," which were common variants found in historical records.
One of the earliest documented occurrences of the name Wallner can be found in the "Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae," a collection of medieval documents from Saxony, where a person named "Conradus Wallner" is mentioned in a record dated 1279.
During the 14th century, the name appears in various manuscripts and records across German-speaking regions. For instance, a "Johannes Wallner" is listed in the "Libri Rationum" of the city of Constance in 1348.
In the 15th century, the surname Wallner gained prominence with the rise of notable individuals bearing this name. One such figure was Hans Wallner, a prominent merchant and guild member in Nuremberg, who lived from 1430 to 1492.
As the centuries progressed, the name Wallner continued to be found in various regions of Germany and neighboring countries. In the 16th century, a notable figure was Christoph Wallner (1515-1579), a Lutheran theologian and reformer from Saxony.
The 17th century saw the birth of Johann Wallner (1630-1696), a German composer and organist known for his contributions to the Baroque music tradition. Another notable figure from this period was Georg Wallner (1656-1723), a German architect and master builder who designed several churches and public buildings in Bavaria.
In the 18th century, Johann Christoph Wallner (1715-1789) was a respected German mathematician and astronomer, serving as a professor at the University of Göttingen.
The 19th century brought forth figures like Karl Wallner (1825-1902), an Austrian painter and illustrator renowned for his landscapes and genre scenes depicting rural life.
While these examples illustrate the historical presence of the surname Wallner, it is important to note that this name has been borne by numerous individuals throughout the centuries, contributing to the rich tapestry of German and European cultural heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wallner
Among Census respondents with the surname Wallner, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Wallner 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 Wallner surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.4% · 1,649
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 64
- Two or more races2.4% · 42
- Black or African American0.7% · 12
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wallner
Wallner 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
#15,748
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,851
+23 bearers (+1.3%)
Per 100,000 0.63
Rank movement Down 886 places
2020
#15,743
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,785
-66 bearers (-3.6%)
Per 100,000 0.60
Rank movement Up 5 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,862 | 1,828 | 0.68 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,748 | 1,851 | 0.63 | +23 bearers (+1.3%) | Down 886 places |
| 2020 | #15,743 | 1,785 | 0.60 | -66 bearers (-3.6%) | Up 5 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 Wallner 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 | #15,748 | #15,743 | 0.0% |
| Count | 1,851 | 1,785 | -3.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.63 | 0.60 | -5.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wallner bearers went from 1,851 to 1,785 (-3.6% change). The surname moved up 5 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,748 to #15,743.
FAQ
Wallner surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wallner?
Name Census estimates that about 2,047 living Americans carry the surname Wallner. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 167,442 residents.
How common is Wallner?
Wallner ranks #15,743 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.60 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,785 people with the surname Wallner. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,047), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.6 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.60 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Wallner.
Has Wallner become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wallner went from 1,851 recorded bearers to 1,785. That is a decrease of 66 (-3.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #15,748 to #15,743.
What does the Census say about the background of Wallner?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wallner, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Wallner in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.4% (1,649 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wallner appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.4%), Hispanic (3.6%), Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Wallner (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 Wallner mean?
A German surname derived from the Germanic word "wal" meaning foreign or stranger. 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 Wallner (0.60 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 people are called Wallner?
You can see how many Americans have the surname Wallner on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.