2000
#17,510
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,483
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.55
Rare Last name
Waltrip
A surname derived from the Germanic personal name "Walter" meaning "ruler of the army".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,641 Americans carry the last name Waltrip. That puts it at #18,992 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.48 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 208,869 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Waltrip 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
1.6K
1 in 208,869
Census rank
#18,992
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,431 bearers of the surname Waltrip in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.48 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 18992nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Waltrip, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.4%) and Hispanic (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Waltrip
The surname Waltrip originates from England and is believed to have emerged in the early 13th century. It is derived from the Old English words "weald," meaning a forest or wooded area, and "rip," referring to a strip of land or a small stream. This suggests that the name initially identified someone who lived near a wooded area or a stream within a forested region.
One of the earliest known references to the name Waltrip can be found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which were a census-like record of landowners and households in various English counties. The name appears in the form "Walderip" and is associated with individuals residing in the counties of Somerset and Dorset.
During the 14th and 15th centuries, variants of the name, such as "Waltrip," "Walterip," and "Walterepp," can be found in various historical records, including tax rolls, court documents, and parish registers from counties like Devon, Somerset, and Gloucestershire.
Notable individuals with the surname Waltrip include Sir John Waltrip (c. 1420-1490), a prominent landowner and member of the gentry from Gloucestershire, who served as a Member of Parliament during the reign of King Henry VI. Another early bearer of the name was William Waltrip (c. 1555-1628), a prosperous merchant from Bristol who was involved in the city's overseas trade.
In the 17th century, the name Waltrip appears in connection with several place names in the southwest of England, such as Waltrip's Farm in Somerset and Waltrip's Moor in Dorset. These place names further reinforce the link between the surname and its geographical origins.
Other notable individuals with the surname Waltrip include Darrell Waltrip (born 1947), a famous American NASCAR driver and commentator, and Michael Waltrip (born 1963), his younger brother, who is also a successful NASCAR driver and team owner.
While the surname Waltrip is not among the most common in England, it remains a recognizable name with a rich history deeply rooted in the rural landscapes of southwestern England.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Waltrip
Among Census respondents with the surname Waltrip, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.4%) and Hispanic (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Waltrip 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 Waltrip surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.5% · 1,238
- Two or more races6.4% · 91
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 54
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.0% · 28
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 16
- Black or African American0.3% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Waltrip
Waltrip 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
#18,246
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,523
+40 bearers (+2.7%)
Per 100,000 0.52
Rank movement Down 736 places
2020
#18,992
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,431
-92 bearers (-6.0%)
Per 100,000 0.48
Rank movement Down 746 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #17,510 | 1,483 | 0.55 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #18,246 | 1,523 | 0.52 | +40 bearers (+2.7%) | Down 736 places |
| 2020 | #18,992 | 1,431 | 0.48 | -92 bearers (-6.0%) | Down 746 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 Waltrip 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 | #18,246 | #18,992 | -4.1% |
| Count | 1,523 | 1,431 | -6.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.52 | 0.48 | -7.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Waltrip bearers went from 1,523 to 1,431 (-6.0% change). The surname moved down 746 positions in the national ranking, going from #18,246 to #18,992.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Waltrip
FAQ
Waltrip surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Waltrip?
Name Census estimates that about 1,641 living Americans carry the surname Waltrip. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 208,869 residents.
How common is Waltrip?
Waltrip ranks #18,992 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.48 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 1,431 people with the surname Waltrip. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,641), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.48 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.48 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 Waltrip.
Has Waltrip become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Waltrip went from 1,523 recorded bearers to 1,431. That is a decrease of 92 (-6.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #18,246 to #18,992.
What does the Census say about the background of Waltrip?
Among Census respondents with the surname Waltrip, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.4%) and Hispanic (3.8%). 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 Waltrip in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.5% (1,238 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Waltrip appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.5%), Two or More Races (6.4%), Hispanic (3.8%). 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 Waltrip (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 Waltrip mean?
A surname derived from the Germanic personal name "Walter" meaning "ruler of the army". 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 Waltrip (0.48 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 Waltrip?
Want to know how many people have the last name Waltrip? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.