2000
#265
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103,216
First available Census row
Per 100,000 38.26
Common Last name
Walsh
An Irish surname derived from Breathnach, indicating Welsh or British origin or settlement.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 116,814 Americans carry the last name Walsh. That puts it at #302 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 34.08 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,934 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Walsh 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 Walsh with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
117K
1 in 2,934
Census rank
#302
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
34.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
102K
common in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 101,867 bearers of the surname Walsh in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 34.08 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 302nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Walsh, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Walsh
The surname WALSH is of Anglo-Irish origin, deriving from the Old English word "walsh" meaning "foreigner" or "stranger". It is believed to have originated in the 12th century, when Anglo-Norman settlers arrived in Ireland and established themselves as rulers over the native Irish population.
The name was initially given as a nickname or descriptive term to distinguish these newcomers from the local inhabitants. Over time, it became a hereditary surname, passing down through generations of families.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the WALSH surname can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in England, dating back to 1182. This document mentions a "Walter le Waleys", which is an early variant spelling of the name.
In Ireland, the WALSH surname is particularly associated with the counties of Kilkenny, Tipperary, and Waterford, where many prominent WALSH families established their power and influence during the Middle Ages.
One notable figure was Sir John WALSH (c. 1510-1582), a wealthy landowner and politician from Waterford who served as Mayor of the city. Another was Patrick WALSH (1597-1629), a Franciscan friar and Archbishop of Cashel, who played a significant role in the Counter-Reformation in Ireland.
In the 17th century, during the Confederate Wars and Cromwellian conquest of Ireland, several WALSH families were prominent leaders in the Irish Catholic Confederacy, including Walter WALSH (c. 1595-1659), a member of the Supreme Council of the Confederacy.
The WALSH surname also has a strong presence in other parts of the world, including the United States and Australia, where many Irish immigrants settled in the 19th and early 20th centuries.
Some other notable individuals with the WALSH surname throughout history include:
1. William WALSH (1663-1708), an English poet and critic.
2. Robert WALSH (1772-1852), an American author and diplomat.
3. Michael WALSH (1810-1859), an Irish-American journalist and politician.
4. Joseph WALSH (1835-1869), an Irish-Australian explorer and naturalist.
5. William WALSH (1861-1921), an American Roman Catholic bishop.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Walsh
Among Census respondents with the surname Walsh, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Walsh 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 Walsh surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.7% · 93,432
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 3,323
- Two or more races2.7% · 2,763
- Black or African American1.3% · 1,330
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 825
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 194
Timeline
Historical Census data for Walsh
Walsh 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
#295
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105,079
+1,863 bearers (+1.8%)
Per 100,000 35.62
Rank movement Down 30 places
2020
#302
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101,867
-3,212 bearers (-3.1%)
Per 100,000 34.08
Rank movement Down 7 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #265 | 103,216 | 38.26 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #295 | 105,079 | 35.62 | +1,863 bearers (+1.8%) | Down 30 places |
| 2020 | #302 | 101,867 | 34.08 | -3,212 bearers (-3.1%) | Down 7 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 Walsh 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 | #295 | #302 | -2.4% |
| Count | 105,079 | 101,867 | -3.1% |
| Per 100K | 35.62 | 34.08 | -4.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Walsh bearers went from 105,079 to 101,867 (-3.1% change). The surname moved down 7 positions in the national ranking, going from #295 to #302.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Walsh
FAQ
Walsh surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Walsh?
Name Census estimates that about 116,814 living Americans carry the surname Walsh. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,934 residents.
How common is Walsh?
Walsh ranks #302 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Common." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 34.08 per 100,000 residents, which is about 34 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 101,867 people with the surname Walsh. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (116,814), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 34.08 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 34.08 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 34 of them to have the surname Walsh.
Has Walsh become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Walsh went from 105,079 recorded bearers to 101,867. That is a decrease of 3,212 (-3.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #295 to #302.
What does the Census say about the background of Walsh?
Among Census respondents with the surname Walsh, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Walsh in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.7% (93,432 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Walsh appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.7%), Hispanic (3.3%), Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Walsh (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 Walsh mean?
An Irish surname derived from Breathnach, indicating Welsh or British origin or settlement. 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 Walsh (34.08 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 common is the surname Walsh?
If you just want to know how many Americans have the surname Walsh, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.