# Waldo (surname)

Source: https://namelineage.com/surname/waldo/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. Counts from the US Census Bureau; origin and etymology from Wiktionary; bearers from Wikidata. Data updated 2026-11-11.

A surname transferred from the given name.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | English |
| Type | patronymic, formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 4,699 |
| US rank (2010) | 7,120 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 65,705 people |
| Change since 2000 | +1.0% (4,651 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | not recorded |
| Variant spellings | Waldeve, Waldef, Waltheof |

## Etymology

English surname, from the obsolete English given name Waltheof, from Old English weald (“power”) + þēof (“thief”), as in "one who snatched victory from battle." Comparable to, or ultimately Anglicized from, the Old Norse equivalent Valthiófr, from vald + *ᚦᛖᚢᛒᚨᛉ (*þeubaʀ). Compare Walthall, Waldie.

## Who carries it

Share of people named Waldo in the 2010 US Census by the Census's own race and ethnicity groups. The Census suppresses a share when the count behind it is small.

| Group | Share |
|---|---|
| White (not Hispanic) | 83% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 7.0% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 6.8% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 0.9% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.4% |
| Two or more races | 1.6% |

## Where

Wikidata records people named Waldo in the United States.

## People named Waldo

- Janet Waldo, American actress (1919-2016)

## Similar surnames

Wald, Walt, Waldie, Willett, Wilde, Wild, Wilhite, Wilt, Wold, Welty, Willette, Willhite.

## How to read these numbers

A Census count is people alive and counted in 2010, not births, and names occurring fewer than 100 times are not published at all. Ethnicity shares are the Census's own categories.