How common is the surname Walden?

24,821 people in the United States had the surname Walden in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 12,439 Americans. It ranked 1,435th of 162,253 surnames.

Who is the most famous person named Walden?

Paul Walden, Baltic German chemist (1863-1957), followed by Narada Michael Walden.

Where is the surname Walden most common?

Wikidata records people named Walden in the United States, Germany and India and 1 other country.

Is the surname Walden getting more or less common?

More common. 24,122 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 24,821 in 2010, up 2.9%.

Is Walden also a first name?

Yes. Walden is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.

The surname Walden

An English surname, carried by 24,821 people in the United States.

2 syllables Soundex W435 Also a first name

Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). Walden is more common than 99.1% of them.

Origin

English origin

From Old English walh (“Welshman”), genitive plural wala + denu (“valley”).

One of 1,446 English surnames on this site.

Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

How common it is

2010 US Census

There were 24,821 people named Walden in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 12,439 Americans. That is up 2.9% since 2000, when the Census counted 24,122.

#1,435

rank among US surnames

24,821

people in 2010

8.4

per 100,000 Americans

+2.9%

change since 2000 (was #1,343)

Rank	Surname	People	1 in
#1,426	Elkins	24,902	12,398
#1,427	Daley	24,901	12,399
#1,428	Lowry	24,895	12,402
#1,430	Solano	24,881	12,409
#1,431	Duong	24,870	12,414
#1,432	Edmonds	24,857	12,421
#1,433	Gomes	24,827	12,436

Who is named Walden

Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census

78% of people named Walden identified as white (not Hispanic), 16% as Black (not Hispanic) and 2.0% as two or more races.

White (not Hispanic) 78%
Black (not Hispanic) 16%
Two or more races 2.0%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 1.9%
American Indian and Alaska Native 1.0%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.5%

Compare: most common surnames among white Americans.

Famous Waldens

9 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

Paul Walden
Baltic German chemist (1863-1957)
Narada Michael Walden
American musician, born 1952
Greg Walden
American politician (born 1957)
Robert Walden
American actor, born 1943
Corey Walden
American basketball player (born 1992)
W. G. Snuffy Walden
American composer and musician, born 1950
Dana Walden
American businessperson, born 1965
Tillie Walden
American cartoonist, born 1996
Ashley Walden
American luger, born 1981

Notable Waldens come mostly from the United States (6), Germany (1) and India (1).

Spellings and sound-alikes

Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

Surnames that sound like Walden

Walden has the Soundex code W435, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code W435.

Other English surnames

All 1,446 English surnames

Questions

Where does the surname Walden come from?: From Old English walh (“Welshman”), genitive plural wala + denu (“valley”).
How common is the surname Walden?: 24,821 people in the United States had the surname Walden in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 12,439 Americans. It ranked 1,435th of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname Walden?: In the 2010 Census, 78% of people named Walden identified as white (not Hispanic), and 16% as Black (not Hispanic).
Who is the most famous person named Walden?: Paul Walden, Baltic German chemist (1863-1957), followed by Narada Michael Walden.
Where is the surname Walden most common?: Wikidata records people named Walden in the United States, Germany and India and 1 other country.
Is the surname Walden getting more or less common?: More common. 24,122 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 24,821 in 2010, up 2.9%.
Is Walden also a first name?: Yes. Walden is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.