NameCensus.

UK surname

Walt

A variant of the surname Walter, derived from the Germanic elements "wald" meaning "rule" and "heri" meaning "army".

In the 1881 census there were 41 people recorded with the Walt surname, ranking it #27,870 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 114, ranked #28,515, down from #27,870 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Barking, Kildale and London parishes. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Sunderland and County Durham.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Walt is 171 in 1861. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 178.0%.

1881 census count

41

Ranked #27,870

Modern count

114

2016, ranked #28,515

Peak year

1861

171 bearers

Map years

3

1861 to 2016

Key insights

  • Walt had 41 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #27,870 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 114 in 2016, ranked #28,515.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 171 in 1861.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Young Families in Industrial Towns.

Walt surname distribution map

The map shows where the Walt surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Walt surname density by area, 2016 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Walt over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 42 #25,706
1861 historical 171 #13,692
1881 historical 41 #27,870
1891 historical 169 #16,885
1901 historical 77 #25,627
1911 historical 70 #25,853
1997 modern 69 #30,712
1998 modern 73 #30,681
1999 modern 69 #31,223
2000 modern 70 #31,180
2001 modern 64 #31,602
2002 modern 74 #31,048
2003 modern 69 #31,587
2004 modern 69 #31,784
2005 modern 76 #31,267
2006 modern 84 #30,665
2007 modern 82 #31,295
2008 modern 88 #30,857
2009 modern 88 #31,352
2010 modern 97 #30,697
2011 modern 93 #31,169
2012 modern 94 #31,258
2013 modern 97 #31,239
2014 modern 109 #29,452
2015 modern 105 #30,092
2016 modern 114 #28,515

Geography

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Where Walts are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Barking, Kildale, London parishes, St Pancras and Tring. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Sunderland and County Durham. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Barking Essex
2 Kildale Yorkshire, North Riding
3 London parishes London 3
4 St Pancras London (North Districts)
5 Tring Hertfordshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Sunderland 008 Sunderland
2 Sunderland 012 Sunderland
3 County Durham 007 County Durham
4 Sunderland 003 Sunderland
5 Sunderland 011 Sunderland

Forenames

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First names often paired with Walt

These lists show first names that appear often with the Walt surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Walt

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Walt, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce

Group

Young Families in Industrial Towns

Nationally, the Walt surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Young Families in Industrial Towns, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Walt household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These neighbourhoods house predominantly young, UK-born individuals identifying with a White ethnic group with dependent children. Long-term disability and unpaid care are prevalent, and religious affiliations are uncommon. Housing is terraced or semi-detached and social rented sector housing is the norm. Unemployment is above the Supergroup average, and employment is principally in elementary occupations, as process plant and machine operatives, or in caring and leisure services. Educational attainment is low. The group is scattered throughout former industrial towns in the Midlands and the South Wales Valleys.

Wider pattern

Living in terraced or semi-detached houses, residents of these neighbourhoods typically lack high levels of education and work in elementary or routine service occupations. Unemployment is above average. Residents are predominantly born in the UK, and residents are also predominantly from ethnic minorities. Social (but not private sector) rented sector housing is common. This Supergroup is found throughout the UK’s conurbations and industrial regions but is also an integral part of smaller towns.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Skilled Trades and Construction Workers

Within London, Walt is most associated with areas classed as Skilled Trades and Construction Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These scattered, peripheral and often low residential density neighbourhoods house more workers in skilled trades and construction. Few households rent social housing and there are few students. Multiple car ownership is higher than the Supergroup average, perhaps because of poorer public transport connectivity. Incidence of mixed or multiple ethnicity is below the Supergroup average, and the absence of individuals identifying as Pakistani or Other Asian groups is also less pronounced. Flatted accommodation is less dominant than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Walt is most concentrated in decile 5 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname near the middle of the scale.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

5
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Walt falls in decile 2 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

2
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Walt is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 60-70 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

9
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Walt, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of 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.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Walt families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Walt surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Durham leads with 19 Walts recorded in 1881 and an index of 14.88x.

County Total Index
Durham 19 14.88x
Ayrshire 5 15.57x
Devon 5 5.60x
Royal Navy 3 58.71x
Surrey 2 0.96x
Hampshire 1 1.14x
Inverness-shire 1 7.80x
Kent 1 0.68x
Lanarkshire 1 0.72x
Lancashire 1 0.20x
Lincolnshire 1 1.46x
Middlesex 1 0.23x
Monmouthshire 1 3.22x
Oxfordshire 1 3.77x
Yorkshire 1 0.24x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Framwellgate in Durham leads with 6 Walts recorded in 1881 and an index of 789.47x.

Place Total Index
Framwellgate 6 789.47x
Ardrossan 5 450.45x
Bishopwearmouth 5 45.62x
Compton Gifford 5 1785.71x
Trimdon 5 1111.11x
Darlington 2 40.57x
Barony 1 2.85x
Chorlton On Medlock 1 12.36x
Croydon 1 8.61x
Fishburn 1 2000.00x
Fulham London 1 16.08x
Inverness 1 31.06x
Lambeth 1 2.67x
Lofthouse 1 158.73x
Newport 1 67.57x
Oxford St Clement 1 149.25x
Portsmouth 1 49.26x
Ramsgate 1 41.84x
Winterton 1 416.67x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Walt surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Jane 2
Mary 2
Alice 1
Ann 1
Annie 1
Dorothy 1
Elizabeth 1
Ellen 1
Fanny 1
Isabella 1
Lilly 1
Sarah 1
Susan 1

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Walt surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Henry 3
William 3
Charles 2
David 1
Edward 1
Ernest 1
George 1
James 1
John 1
Newton 1
Ralph 1
Robert 1
Robt.T. 1
Thomas 1

Top occupations

Occupational titles are kept as recorded and later transcribed, so related jobs, spelling variants and mistakes stay separate. Scholar was the census term for a child in education. That means the other rows often tell you more about adult work in Walt households.

FAQ

Walt surname: questions and answers

How common was the Walt surname in 1881?

In 1881, 41 people were recorded with the Walt surname. That placed it at #27,870 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Walt surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 114 in 2016. That gives Walt a modern rank of #28,515.

What does the Walt surname mean?

A variant of the surname Walter, derived from the Germanic elements "wald" meaning "rule" and "heri" meaning "army".

What does the Walt map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Walt bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.