How common is the surname Walsh?

105,079 people in the United States had the surname Walsh in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 2,938 Americans. It ranked 295th of 162,253 surnames.

What ethnicity is the surname Walsh?

In the 2010 Census, 94% of people named Walsh identified as white (not Hispanic), and 2.2% as Hispanic or Latino (any race).

Who is the most famous person named Walsh?

Kate Walsh, American actress, followed by María Elena Walsh.

Where is the surname Walsh most common?

Wikidata records people named Walsh in the United States, Argentina and Antigua and Barbuda and 2 other countries.

Is the surname Walsh getting more or less common?

More common. 103,216 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 105,079 in 2010, up 1.8%.

What are other spellings of Walsh?

Walshe, Walch, Welch and Welsh.

The surname Walsh

An English surname, carried by 105,079 people in the United States.

1 syllable Soundex W420

Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). Walsh is more common than 99.8% of them.

Origin

English origin

From Middle English Walsch (“Welsh(man)”), from Old English wælisċ, variant of wīelisċ.

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 105,079 people named Walsh in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 2,938 Americans. That is up 1.8% since 2000, when the Census counted 103,216.

#295

rank among US surnames

105,079

people in 2010

per 100,000 Americans

+1.8%

change since 2000 (was #265)

Rank	Surname	People	1 in
#286	Lucas	107,690	2,867
#287	Márquez	107,533	2,871
#288	Fields	107,522	2,871
#289	Park	106,696	2,894
#290	Yang	106,033	2,912
#291	Little	105,936	2,914
#292	Banks	105,833	2,917

Who is named Walsh

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

94% of people named Walsh identified as white (not Hispanic), 2.2% as Hispanic or Latino (any race) and 1.4% as two or more races.

White (not Hispanic) 94%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 2.2%
Two or more races 1.4%
Black (not Hispanic) 1.1%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.7%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.2%

Compare: most common surnames among white Americans.

Famous Walshs

52 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

Kate Walsh
American actress, born 1967
María Elena Walsh
Argentine author and composer, 1930–2011
M. Emmet Walsh
American actor (1935–2024)
Raoul Walsh
American film director and actor (1887–1980)
Dylan Walsh
American actor (born 1963)
Joe Walsh
American rock musician, born 1947
Maiara Walsh
Brazilian-American actress and singer, born 1988
J. T. Walsh
American actor (1943–1998)
Marty Walsh
American politician from Massachusetts (born 1967)
Kerri Walsh Jennings
American professional beach volleyball player, born 1978
Don Walsh
American oceanographer (1931–2023)
Matt Walsh
American actor & comedian (1964-)

Notable Walshs come mostly from the United States (45), Argentina (2) and Antigua and Barbuda (2).

Spellings and sound-alikes

Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

Variant spellings

Surnames that sound like Walsh

Walsh has the Soundex code W420, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code W420.

Other English surnames

All 1,446 English surnames

Questions

Where does the surname Walsh come from?: From Middle English Walsch (“Welsh(man)”), from Old English wælisċ, variant of wīelisċ.
How common is the surname Walsh?: 105,079 people in the United States had the surname Walsh in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 2,938 Americans. It ranked 295th of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname Walsh?: In the 2010 Census, 94% of people named Walsh identified as white (not Hispanic), and 2.2% as Hispanic or Latino (any race).
Who is the most famous person named Walsh?: Kate Walsh, American actress, followed by María Elena Walsh.
Where is the surname Walsh most common?: Wikidata records people named Walsh in the United States, Argentina and Antigua and Barbuda and 2 other countries.
Is the surname Walsh getting more or less common?: More common. 103,216 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 105,079 in 2010, up 1.8%.
What are other spellings of Walsh?: Walshe, Walch, Welch and Welsh.