2000
#13,830
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,005
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.74
Rare Last name
Walmsley
An English locational surname derived from a place name meaning "clearing in the woods frequented by ravens."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,249 Americans carry the last name Walmsley. That puts it at #14,586 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.66 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 152,403 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Walmsley 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 Walmsley with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.2K
1 in 152,403
Census rank
#14,586
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,961 bearers of the surname Walmsley in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.66 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14586th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Walmsley, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Walmsley
Among Census respondents with the surname Walmsley, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Walmsley 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 Walmsley surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.8% · 1,721
- Two or more races3.8% · 75
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 65
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.2% · 44
- Black or African American2.1% · 42
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 14
Timeline
Historical Census data for Walmsley
Walmsley 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
#14,427
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,071
+66 bearers (+3.3%)
Per 100,000 0.70
Rank movement Down 597 places
2020
#14,586
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,961
-110 bearers (-5.3%)
Per 100,000 0.66
Rank movement Down 159 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,830 | 2,005 | 0.74 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,427 | 2,071 | 0.70 | +66 bearers (+3.3%) | Down 597 places |
| 2020 | #14,586 | 1,961 | 0.66 | -110 bearers (-5.3%) | Down 159 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 Walmsley 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 | #14,427 | #14,586 | -1.1% |
| Count | 2,071 | 1,961 | -5.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.70 | 0.66 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Walmsley bearers went from 2,071 to 1,961 (-5.3% change). The surname moved down 159 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,427 to #14,586.
FAQ
Walmsley surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Walmsley?
Name Census estimates that about 2,249 living Americans carry the surname Walmsley. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 152,403 residents.
How common is Walmsley?
Walmsley ranks #14,586 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.66 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 1,961 people with the surname Walmsley. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,249), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.66 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.66 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 Walmsley.
Has Walmsley become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Walmsley went from 2,071 recorded bearers to 1,961. That is a decrease of 110 (-5.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,427 to #14,586.
What does the Census say about the background of Walmsley?
Among Census respondents with the surname Walmsley, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (3.3%). 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 Walmsley in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.8% (1,721 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Walmsley appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.8%), Two or More Races (3.8%), Hispanic (3.3%). 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 Walmsley (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 Walmsley mean?
An English locational surname derived from a place name meaning "clearing in the woods frequented by ravens." 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 Walmsley (0.66 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 share the surname Walmsley?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.