2000
#5,786
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,473
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.03
Rare Last name
Walston
An English habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "Walh's town," referring to a settlement of Welsh people.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,136 Americans carry the last name Walston. That puts it at #6,138 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.79 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 55,860 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Walston 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 Walston with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
6.1K
1 in 55,860
Census rank
#6,138
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,351 bearers of the surname Walston in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.79 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6138th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Walston, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.5%. The next largest groups are Black (20.6%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Walston
The surname Walston is of English origin, derived from the Old English words "walu" meaning valley or slope, and "tun" meaning a farm or enclosure. It is believed to have originated as a place name, referring to a settlement or farm located in a valley or sloping area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Walston can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Waletone" and "Walestone," referring to places in Warwickshire and Staffordshire respectively. These early spellings suggest that the name was initially associated with specific locations before becoming a hereditary surname.
During the Middle Ages, the name Walston was primarily concentrated in the Midlands region of England, particularly in the counties of Warwickshire, Staffordshire, and Derbyshire. This is where some of the earliest recorded bearers of the name can be found.
In the 13th century, records show a Roger de Walestone listed in the Pipe Rolls of Staffordshire in 1205. This is one of the earliest known instances of the name appearing in official records.
Another notable individual bearing the name was John de Waleston, who was mentioned in the Assize Rolls of Derbyshire in 1284. This reference provides further evidence of the name's prevalence in the Midlands during this period.
In the 14th century, the name appears in various forms, including Waleston, Walyston, and Walystone. One example is William de Waleston, who was recorded in the Subsidy Rolls of Warwickshire in 1332.
As the surname evolved over time, it took on various spellings, including Walston, Waulston, and Waulstone. These variations likely emerged due to regional dialects and the inconsistent spelling practices of the time.
Notable individuals with the surname Walston include:
1. John Walston (1581-1658), an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Tamworth in the 17th century.
2. Sarah Walston (1657-1731), a Quaker minister and author from Pennsylvania, known for her religious writings and advocacy for women's rights.
3. Thomas Walston (1713-1789), a British naval officer who served during the Seven Years' War and the American Revolutionary War.
4. William Walston (1794-1871), an English botanist and horticulturist, known for his work on cultivating exotic plants and his contributions to the development of greenhouses.
5. Henry Walston (1832-1908), an American businessman and philanthropist, who founded the Walston Company, a successful manufacturing firm in New York.
While the surname Walston is not among the most common in modern times, it has a rich history that can be traced back to the medieval period in England, with its origins likely rooted in the topography of the Midlands region.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Walston
Among Census respondents with the surname Walston, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.5%. The next largest groups are Black (20.6%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Walston 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 Walston surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White70.5% · 3,772
- Black or African American20.6% · 1,104
- Two or more races4.5% · 243
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 179
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 33
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 20
Timeline
Historical Census data for Walston
Walston 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
#6,011
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,721
+248 bearers (+4.5%)
Per 100,000 1.94
Rank movement Down 225 places
2020
#6,138
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,351
-370 bearers (-6.5%)
Per 100,000 1.79
Rank movement Down 127 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,786 | 5,473 | 2.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,011 | 5,721 | 1.94 | +248 bearers (+4.5%) | Down 225 places |
| 2020 | #6,138 | 5,351 | 1.79 | -370 bearers (-6.5%) | Down 127 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 Walston 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 | #6,011 | #6,138 | -2.1% |
| Count | 5,721 | 5,351 | -6.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.94 | 1.79 | -7.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Walston bearers went from 5,721 to 5,351 (-6.5% change). The surname moved down 127 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,011 to #6,138.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Walston
FAQ
Walston surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Walston?
Name Census estimates that about 6,136 living Americans carry the surname Walston. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 55,860 residents.
How common is Walston?
Walston ranks #6,138 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.79 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,351 people with the surname Walston. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,136), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.79 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.79 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Walston.
Has Walston become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Walston went from 5,721 recorded bearers to 5,351. That is a decrease of 370 (-6.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,011 to #6,138.
What does the Census say about the background of Walston?
Among Census respondents with the surname Walston, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.5%. The next largest groups are Black (20.6%) and Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Walston in the 2020 Census, accounting for 70.5% (3,772 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Walston appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (70.5%), Black (20.6%), Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Walston (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 Walston mean?
An English habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "Walh's town," referring to a settlement of Welsh people. 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 Walston (1.79 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 Americans have the surname Walston?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.