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

Walmsley, 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 Walmsley surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Walmsley in America

Walmsley is the 14427th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Walmsley surname appeared 2,071 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Walmsley.

We can also compare 2010 data for Walmsley 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 Walmsley

The surname Walmsley has its origins in England and can be traced back to the 12th century. The name is derived from the Old English word 'walm', meaning 'a spring or stream', and the Old English word 'leah', meaning 'a clearing in a forest'. It is believed that the name originally referred to a person who lived near a stream or spring in a woodland clearing.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Walmsley can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Lancashire, dated 1176, where it is spelled as 'Walmesley'. This document mentions a landowner named Richard de Walmesley, suggesting that the name was already well-established in the region by that time.

The Walmsley family had strong ties to the area around Bury, Lancashire, and several members of the family held prominent positions in the local community over the centuries. One notable figure was Sir Thomas Walmsley (1537-1612), who served as a judge and Lord Justice of the Court of Common Pleas during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.

Another important historical figure was Charles Walmsley (1740-1805), a British politician and businessman who served as a Member of Parliament for Kilkenny City in Ireland. He was also known for his involvement in the Irish linen trade and his support for the Irish Patriot movement.

In the 16th century, the Walmsley family held lands in the township of Shuttleworth, near Bury, and the surname is closely associated with the place name Walmsley, which is derived from the same Old English roots as the surname itself.

Other notable individuals with the surname Walmsley include:

1. Edward Walmsley (1787-1866), an English poet and writer.
2. Thomas Walmsley (1763-1835), an English inventor and engineer who made significant contributions to the development of the spinning mule and other textile machinery.
3. Robert Walmsley (1834-1905), a British politician and Member of Parliament for Blackburn from 1885 to 1900.
4. Evelyn Walmsley (1891-1982), a British actress and playwright.
5. John Walmsley (1923-2010), an English cricketer who played for Lancashire and England.

Throughout its history, the surname Walmsley has been associated with various locations in England, particularly in Lancashire, where it has deep roots and a rich heritage.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Walmsley

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!