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

Walters, 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 Walters surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Walters in America

Walters is the 350th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Walters surname appeared 89,376 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 30 people would have the surname Walters.

We can also compare 2010 data for Walters 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 Walters

The surname Walters originated in England and can be traced back to the late 12th century. It derives from the ancient Germanic personal name Walter, which is composed of the elements "wald" meaning "rule" and "heri" meaning "army." The name Walter essentially translates to "commander of the army."

Early records show the name appearing as Waltur in the Domesday Book of 1086, a survey of England commissioned by William the Conqueror. During the Middle Ages, the name evolved into various spellings such as Walthers, Walteres, and Walterus before eventually settling into the modern form of Walters.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Walters was Richard Walters, a merchant and landowner in London who was born around 1250. Another notable early bearer was John Walters, a member of the English Parliament who represented Worcestershire in 1376.

The Walters name has been associated with several prominent figures throughout history. Sir William Walters (1542-1632) was an English explorer and privateer who accompanied Sir Francis Drake on his famous circumnavigation voyage. Nathaniel Walters (1670-1730) was a British businessman and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for several constituencies.

In the literary realm, John Walters (1784-1857) was a renowned English poet and clergyman, while Henry Walters (1848-1931) was an American art collector and philanthropist who founded the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore.

Another significant figure was William Walters (1892-1973), a British Labour Party politician who served as the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs from 1950 to 1951 under Prime Minister Clement Attlee.

While the Walters surname originated in England, it has since spread to various parts of the world, particularly through British emigration and colonization. The name has been well-established in countries such as the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, where it has been borne by individuals from diverse backgrounds and professions.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Walters

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

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

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

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