2000
#262
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104,281
First available Census row
Per 100,000 38.66
Common Last name
Walters
An occupational surname referring to the ruler or owner of a village or a steward of a household.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 115,579 Americans carry the last name Walters. That puts it at #307 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 33.72 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,966 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Walters 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 Walters with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
116K
1 in 2,966
Census rank
#307
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
33.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
101K
common in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 100,790 bearers of the surname Walters in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 33.72 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 307th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Walters, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.5%. The next largest groups are Black (11.5%) and Hispanic (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Walters
Among Census respondents with the surname Walters, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.5%. The next largest groups are Black (11.5%) and Hispanic (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Walters 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 Walters surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White79.5% · 80,159
- Black or African American11.5% · 11,627
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 3,763
- Two or more races3.7% · 3,722
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 777
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 742
Timeline
Historical Census data for Walters
Walters 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
#350
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 89,376
-14,905 bearers (-14.3%)
Per 100,000 30.30
Rank movement Down 88 places
2020
#307
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100,790
+11,414 bearers (+12.8%)
Per 100,000 33.72
Rank movement Up 43 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #262 | 104,281 | 38.66 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #350 | 89,376 | 30.30 | -14,905 bearers (-14.3%) | Down 88 places |
| 2020 | #307 | 100,790 | 33.72 | +11,414 bearers (+12.8%) | Up 43 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 Walters 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 | #350 | #307 | 12.3% |
| Count | 89,376 | 100,790 | 12.8% |
| Per 100K | 30.30 | 33.72 | 11.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Walters bearers went from 89,376 to 100,790 (+12.8% change). The surname moved up 43 positions in the national ranking, going from #350 to #307.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Walters
FAQ
Walters surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Walters?
Name Census estimates that about 115,579 living Americans carry the surname Walters. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,966 residents.
How common is Walters?
Walters ranks #307 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Common." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 33.72 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 100,790 people with the surname Walters. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (115,579), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 33.72 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 33.72 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 Walters.
Has Walters become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Walters went from 89,376 recorded bearers to 100,790. That is an increase of 11,414 (+12.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #350 to #307.
What does the Census say about the background of Walters?
Among Census respondents with the surname Walters, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.5%. The next largest groups are Black (11.5%) and Hispanic (3.7%). 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 Walters in the 2020 Census, accounting for 79.5% (80,159 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Walters appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (79.5%), Black (11.5%), Hispanic (3.7%). 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 Walters (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 Walters mean?
An occupational surname referring to the ruler or owner of a village or a steward of a household. 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 Walters (33.72 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 people have the surname Walters?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.