2000
#147,095
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Wallrath
A surname derived from the Germanic words "wall" and "rad" referring to someone associated with or living near a defensive wall.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 126 Americans carry the last name Wallrath. That puts it at #149,446 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,720,273 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wallrath 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
126
1 in 2,720,273
Census rank
#149,446
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
110
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 110 bearers of the surname Wallrath in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 149446th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wallrath, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.5%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wallrath
The surname Wallrath originated in Germany, likely in the 16th or 17th century. It is believed to have derived from the German words "Wall" and "Rat," meaning "Wall Councillor" or someone responsible for maintaining or overseeing the town walls. This suggests the name may have initially been an occupational surname given to individuals who held this position.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Wallrath can be found in the village of Wallroth, located in the Rhineland-Palatinate region of Germany. This place name, which shares similarities with the surname, dates back to the 13th century and may have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname over time.
In the 17th century, a man named Johann Wallrath was documented in the city of Cologne, Germany. He was a prominent merchant and member of the local guild. His son, Peter Wallrath, born in 1658, went on to become a respected scholar and professor at the University of Heidelberg.
During the 18th century, the Wallrath family spread across various parts of Germany and neighboring regions. Notable individuals from this period include Friedrich Wallrath (1742-1810), a renowned composer and musician who served as the court organist in Gotha, and Anna Wallrath (1767-1829), a celebrated actress who performed in theaters across Germany and Austria.
As German immigrants began to settle in other parts of Europe and North America in the 19th century, the surname Wallrath also made its way to these new lands. One such individual was Johann Wallrath (1821-1897), who emigrated from Bavaria to the United States in the mid-1800s and became a successful farmer in Pennsylvania.
Another notable figure was Ernst Wallrath (1854-1932), a German-born engineer and inventor who made significant contributions to the development of early automobiles and aviation technology. He lived and worked in both Germany and the United States, holding several patents for his innovations.
Throughout its history, the surname Wallrath has maintained a strong connection to its German roots, with many individuals bearing this name making significant contributions in various fields across multiple countries and generations.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wallrath
Among Census respondents with the surname Wallrath, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.5%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Wallrath 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 Wallrath surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.9% · 100
- Two or more races4.5% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.7% · 3
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wallrath
Wallrath 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
#150,452
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
+6 bearers (+5.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 3,357 places
2020
#149,446
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
+1 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 1,006 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #147,095 | 103 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #150,452 | 109 | 0.04 | +6 bearers (+5.8%) | Down 3,357 places |
| 2020 | #149,446 | 110 | 0.04 | +1 bearers (+0.9%) | Up 1,006 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 Wallrath 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 | #150,452 | #149,446 | 0.7% |
| Count | 109 | 110 | 0.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wallrath bearers went from 109 to 110 (+0.9% change). The surname moved up 1,006 positions in the national ranking, going from #150,452 to #149,446.
FAQ
Wallrath surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wallrath?
Name Census estimates that about 126 living Americans carry the surname Wallrath. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,720,273 residents.
How common is Wallrath?
Wallrath ranks #149,446 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 110 people with the surname Wallrath. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (126), 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 Wallrath.
Has Wallrath become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wallrath went from 109 recorded bearers to 110. That is an increase of 1 (+0.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #150,452 to #149,446.
What does the Census say about the background of Wallrath?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wallrath, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.5%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.7%). 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 Wallrath in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.9% (100 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wallrath appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.9%), Two or More Races (4.5%), American Indian/Alaska Native (2.7%). 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 Wallrath (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 Wallrath mean?
A surname derived from the Germanic words "wall" and "rad" referring to someone associated with or living near a defensive wall. 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 Wallrath (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 many people have the last name Wallrath?
See how many people are called Wallrath on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.