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

Waln, 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 Waln surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Waln in America

Waln is the 39887th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Waln surname appeared 550 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Waln.

We can also compare 2010 data for Waln 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 Waln

The surname WALN originated in England during the Middle Ages, tracing its roots back to the Anglo-Saxon era. It is believed to be a locational name, derived from a place called Walne or Walen, located in either Staffordshire or Cheshire. The name may also be related to the Old English word "walh," which referred to a stranger or foreigner, particularly those of Celtic or Brittonic descent.

One of the earliest known records of the WALN surname can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "de Walna." This suggests that the name was already well-established by the time of the Norman Conquest in 1066. Over time, the spelling evolved, with variations such as Walne, Walney, and Walny being recorded in various historical documents.

During the 13th century, a notable figure bearing the WALN surname was John de Walne, a landowner and knight who held estates in Staffordshire. Records from this period also mention a William de Waleny, who served as a royal clerk under King Edward I.

In the 16th century, the WALN family gained prominence in the Yorkshire region, where they owned significant landholdings. One prominent member was Sir John Waln, a wealthy merchant and alderman of the City of York, who lived from 1520 to 1598.

The 17th century saw the rise of another notable WALN figure, Thomas Walne, a Quaker minister and author born in 1621 in Yorkshire. His writings, which focused on religious topics, were widely circulated among Quaker communities in England and the American colonies.

As the British Empire expanded, the WALN surname spread across the globe. In the 18th century, a family of this name settled in Jamaica, where they established successful sugar plantations. One of their descendants, Robert Walne, born in 1765, became a prominent figure in the island's colonial administration.

Throughout its history, the WALN surname has been associated with various places and geographical features, such as Walney Island off the coast of Cumbria, and the village of Walne in Staffordshire. These place names likely derived from the same linguistic origins as the surname itself.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Waln

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

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

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

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