2000
#102,691
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 162
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.06
Very Rare Last name
Walsch
Of German and East Prussian origin, meaning a person from Wales or having Welsh ancestry.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 136 Americans carry the last name Walsch. That puts it at #142,788 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,520,252 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Walsch 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
136
1 in 2,520,252
Census rank
#142,788
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
119
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 119 bearers of the surname Walsch in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142788th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Walsch, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.0%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Walsch
The surname WALSCH is of Germanic origin and dates back to the early medieval period. It is derived from the Old German word "walah," which means "foreigner" or "stranger," and was initially used to refer to people of Celtic or Romance descent who lived in areas populated by Germanic tribes.
The name first appeared in the regions of modern-day Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, where it was often associated with individuals who had migrated from other parts of Europe or had family roots in those areas. In some cases, the name may have been used to distinguish between locals and newcomers.
Historical records indicate that the name WALSCH was present in various forms during the Middle Ages. For instance, it is mentioned in the Codex Traditionum Corbeiensium, a manuscript from the 9th century that contains legal documents and property records from the Benedictine abbey of Corvey in present-day North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.
One of the earliest recorded individuals bearing this surname was Walther Walsch, a merchant and landowner who lived in the city of Nuremberg, Germany, in the late 13th century. Another notable figure was Johann Walsch, a German scholar and humanist born in 1470, who was known for his contributions to the study of ancient Greek and Latin texts.
During the Renaissance and Reformation periods, the name WALSCH continued to be found across various regions of Central Europe. In the 16th century, Hans Walsch, a German painter and engraver active in Nuremberg, gained recognition for his intricate woodcut illustrations.
Moving into the 17th century, Johann Jakob Walsch, a Swiss theologian and philosopher born in 1642, made significant contributions to the fields of logic and metaphysics. Additionally, Johann Georg Walsch, a German composer and organist born in 1693, left a lasting impact on the development of Baroque music.
As migration patterns shifted and populations moved across Europe, the surname WALSCH spread to other countries and regions. In the 19th century, for example, Friedrich Walsch, a German-born botanist (1806-1887), made significant contributions to the study of plant life in South Africa, where he spent much of his career.
Throughout its history, the surname WALSCH has been associated with individuals from various walks of life, including scholars, artists, musicians, and scientists, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and experiences of those who have carried this name over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Walsch
Among Census respondents with the surname Walsch, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.0%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Walsch 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 Walsch surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.4% · 110
- Hispanic or Latino5.0% · 6
- Two or more races1.7% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Walsch
Walsch 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
#128,249
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 133
-29 bearers (-17.9%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 25,558 places
2020
#142,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
-14 bearers (-10.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 14,539 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #102,691 | 162 | 0.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #128,249 | 133 | 0.05 | -29 bearers (-17.9%) | Down 25,558 places |
| 2020 | #142,788 | 119 | 0.04 | -14 bearers (-10.5%) | Down 14,539 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 Walsch 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 | #128,249 | #142,788 | -11.3% |
| Count | 133 | 119 | -10.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -20.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Walsch bearers went from 133 to 119 (-10.5% change). The surname moved down 14,539 positions in the national ranking, going from #128,249 to #142,788.
FAQ
Walsch surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Walsch?
Name Census estimates that about 136 living Americans carry the surname Walsch. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,520,252 residents.
How common is Walsch?
Walsch ranks #142,788 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 119 people with the surname Walsch. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (136), 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 Walsch.
Has Walsch become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Walsch went from 133 recorded bearers to 119. That is a decrease of 14 (-10.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #128,249 to #142,788.
What does the Census say about the background of Walsch?
Among Census respondents with the surname Walsch, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.0%) and Two or More Races (1.7%). 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 Walsch in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.4% (110 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Walsch appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.4%), Hispanic (5.0%), Two or More Races (1.7%). 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 Walsch (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 Walsch mean?
Of German and East Prussian origin, meaning a person from Wales or having Welsh ancestry. 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 Walsch (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 share the surname Walsch?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.