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

Walt, 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 Walt surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Walt in America

Walt is the 23587th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Walt surname appeared 1,076 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 Walt.

We can also compare 2010 data for Walt 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 Walt

The surname Walt is of German origin and dates back to the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Old High German word 'walt', meaning forest or woods. The name likely originated as a topographic name, referring to someone who lived near or in a wooded area.

In its earliest recorded forms, the name appeared as Waltheri, Walthar, Waltarius, and Waltherus in various medieval records and documents from the 8th to 11th centuries. These early spellings suggest that the name may have been initially a given name before evolving into a hereditary surname.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Walt can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is listed as Walterus and Walterius among landowners and tenants in various counties of England. This indicates that the name had already spread beyond its German origins by the 11th century.

During the Middle Ages, the surname Walt was particularly prevalent in the regions of Bavaria and Württemberg in southern Germany, as well as in parts of Switzerland. The town of Waltershausen in Thuringia, Germany, is thought to be named after a person with the surname Walt, further attesting to its early presence in the region.

Notable individuals with the surname Walt include:

1. Johannes Walt (c. 1505 - c. 1578), a German Lutheran theologian and reformer.
2. Rudolf Walt (1887 - 1944), a Swiss politician and member of the National Council.
3. Walter Walt (1895 - 1968), a Swiss politician and member of the National Council.
4. Johann Walt (1698 - 1776), a German-born American pioneer and one of the founders of the town of Waldoboro, Maine.
5. Wilhelm Walt (1856 - 1925), a German physician and professor of medicine at the University of Giessen.

Over time, the surname Walt has seen various alternative spellings, such as Waldt, Walth, and Walther, reflecting regional variations and linguistic developments. Despite its German roots, the name can now be found in many other parts of the world due to emigration and migration patterns.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Walt

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

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

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

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