2000
#10,984
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,657
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.98
Rare Last name
Walser
A German habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "a person living near pastureland or grassland."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,975 Americans carry the last name Walser. That puts it at #11,591 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.87 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 115,212 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Walser 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
3.0K
1 in 115,212
Census rank
#11,591
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,594 bearers of the surname Walser in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.87 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11591st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Walser, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Black (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Walser
The surname Walser has its origins in Germany and Switzerland, dating back to the medieval period. It is believed to be derived from the German word "Walch," which referred to someone of Romansh or Italian descent living in the Alpine regions. The name may also have connections to the Walser German dialect spoken in parts of Switzerland and Austria.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Walser can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus, a collection of historical documents from the 8th to the 13th century. In these records, the name appears as "Walcher" or "Walcherus," indicating its Germanic roots.
The Walser name gained prominence in the 13th century when a group of German-speaking settlers from the Valais region of Switzerland migrated to various Alpine valleys. These settlers, known as the Walser, established their own communities and brought their distinct culture and dialect with them. Their influence can be seen in the naming of several villages and regions, such as the Walser Valley in Italy.
One notable figure bearing the Walser name was Caspar Walser (1456-1536), a Swiss humanist and scholar who served as the rector of the University of Basel. Another prominent individual was Johann Walser (1567-1639), a German composer and organist known for his contributions to sacred music during the Renaissance era.
In the 19th century, the Walser name gained literary significance with the work of Robert Walser (1878-1956), a Swiss writer and novelist widely regarded as one of the most influential authors of German modernism. His unique style and experimental prose earned him acclaim among literary circles.
Another notable figure was Therese Walser (1910-1991), a German resistance fighter who actively opposed the Nazi regime during World War II. Her courageous actions in distributing anti-Nazi literature and assisting persecuted individuals earned her recognition as a symbol of resistance against oppression.
While the Walser surname has its roots in the Alpine regions of Central Europe, its bearers have since spread across the globe, contributing to various fields and leaving their mark on history through their accomplishments and endeavors.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Walser
Among Census respondents with the surname Walser, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Black (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Walser 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 Walser surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.3% · 2,290
- Hispanic or Latino4.3% · 112
- Black or African American3.2% · 82
- Two or more races2.9% · 74
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 24
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Walser
Walser 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
#11,341
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,782
+125 bearers (+4.7%)
Per 100,000 0.94
Rank movement Down 357 places
2020
#11,591
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,594
-188 bearers (-6.8%)
Per 100,000 0.87
Rank movement Down 250 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,984 | 2,657 | 0.98 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,341 | 2,782 | 0.94 | +125 bearers (+4.7%) | Down 357 places |
| 2020 | #11,591 | 2,594 | 0.87 | -188 bearers (-6.8%) | Down 250 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 Walser 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 | #11,341 | #11,591 | -2.2% |
| Count | 2,782 | 2,594 | -6.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.94 | 0.87 | -7.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Walser bearers went from 2,782 to 2,594 (-6.8% change). The surname moved down 250 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,341 to #11,591.
FAQ
Walser surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Walser?
Name Census estimates that about 2,975 living Americans carry the surname Walser. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 115,212 residents.
How common is Walser?
Walser ranks #11,591 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.87 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 2,594 people with the surname Walser. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,975), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.87 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.87 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 Walser.
Has Walser become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Walser went from 2,782 recorded bearers to 2,594. That is a decrease of 188 (-6.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,341 to #11,591.
What does the Census say about the background of Walser?
Among Census respondents with the surname Walser, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Black (3.2%). 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 Walser in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.3% (2,290 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Walser appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.3%), Hispanic (4.3%), Black (3.2%). 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 Walser (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 Walser mean?
A German habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "a person living near pastureland or grassland." 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 Walser (0.87 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 surname Walser?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.