The Walden surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 24,821 people carried this name — #1,435 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 11,900 people counted. That is up 3% from 24,122 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Walden surname

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

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Walden» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as a local name, from where the family lived: ‘of Walden’ — the first of the origins he gives.

An early record he cites: Alice de Waledene, Cambridgeshire, 1273 — Hundred Rolls.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 789 · public domain.

In Argentina’s national register

At least 136 people named Walden live in Argentina.

RENAPER only publishes a name in a province when more than ten people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Santa Fe.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Santa Fe 105
La Rioja 31

RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.

In Switzerland’s population statistics

59 people named Walden live in Switzerland.

They live in 5 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Valais.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Valais 39
Zurich 11
Bern 3
Fribourg 3
Lucerne 3

Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), «Surnames of the permanent resident population by canton», 2025, opendata.swiss/en/dataset/nachnamen-der-standigen-wohnbevolkerung-nach-kanton3 · names with fewer than 3 bearers in a canton are not published.

In Poland’s population register

38 people named Walden have a registered home in Poland.

Of the 72 in Poland’s national register, these are the ones with a permanent address on file. They live in 4 of Poland’s 16 voivodeships, most of all in Opole.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Opole 19
Silesian 8
Masovian 7
Warmian-Masurian 4

PESEL register, Ministry of Digital Affairs of Poland (dane.gov.pl) — CC0 · living people by voivodeship of permanent residence, 20 January 2026.

In the Nordic population registers

664 people named Walden are counted in Sweden and Finland.

Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published. Finland counts its citizens, at home or abroad.

Counted, by country

Sweden (2022) 344
Finland (2026) 320

Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown) · Digital and Population Data Services Agency (DVV), Finland, surname statistics, August 2026 — CC BY 4.0.

Among the farmers of England and Wales, 1880s

Walden was found among the farmers of Dorset: 26 in every 10,000.

Guppy counted the farmers listed in each county’s directory and recorded a name only where it reached about 7 in every 10,000; where it does not appear, it was rarer than that, not absent.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Per 10,000 farmers, by county

Dorset 26

H. B. Guppy, «Homes of Family Names in Great Britain» (London, 1890), alphabetical list of English and Welsh names — public domain · farmers in Kelly’s Post Office Directories of the 1880s, per 10,000 farmers in each county.

In the first U.S. census, 1790

59 families named Walden, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 303 people lived in those households, 5.2 to a family on average. The table counts it together with 4 other spellings. The table lists white heads of families only, in the twelve states whose 1790 records survive; Virginia’s figures come from state lists of 1782–1785.

Families, by state

Massachusetts 11
Virginia 10
New Hampshire 7
Connecticut 6
New York 6
Vermont 5
South Carolina 5
Pennsylvania 3
North Carolina 3
Rhode Island 2
Maryland 1

U.S. Census Bureau, «A Century of Population Growth from the First Census of the United States to the Twelfth, 1790–1900» (Washington, 1909), table 111, p. 267 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Walden in American newspapers,
1893–1906.

Newspaper page from The De Soto County News carrying the name Walden
The De Soto County News 1906-03-02
Newspaper page from The Weekly Thibodaux Sentinel And Journal Of The 8th Senatorial District carrying the name Walden
The Weekly Thibodaux Sentinel And Journal Of The 8th Senatorial District 1893-03-18
Newspaper page from The Bee carrying the name Walden
The Bee 1902-10-16

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 135,419 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Walden in Australian newspapers,
1830s–2010s.

11,786 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Walden. The most, 2,452, date from the 1930s. New South Wales has the most articles, but weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, the name stands out most in Tasmania, at 1.6 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 3,615
Queensland 2,861
Victoria 2,184
South Australia 1,304
Tasmania 1,123
Western Australia 631
ACT (Canberra) 41
Northern Territory 11

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Walden.

Who carried it

People named Walden,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Lionel Walden
    Lionel Walden 1620–1698 · politician
  • Ebenezer Walden
    Ebenezer Walden 1777–1857 · politician
  • John Walden d. 1417 · politician
  • Isaac Walden d. 1632 · politician
  • Humphrey Walden d. 1331 · administrator
  • Alexander Walden 1301–1401 · politician

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Walden,
in the records of 10 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States1,646 records

1,646 records of the Walden name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 794
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 335
  • Other U.S. records 517
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Charles P. Walden

    Born 1915 in Georgia. Enlisted 1945 at Fort Macarthur San Pedro, California; machine shop worker. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 2001, buried at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery, California.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Louis P. Walden

    Born 1925 in Texas. Enlisted 1943 at Abilene; farmer from Runnels County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 2000, buried at Old Union Cemetery, Lufkin, Texas.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  3. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record John A. Walden

    Born 1907 in Texas. Enlisted 1942 at San Francisco, California; sailor. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1964, buried at Golden Gate National Cemetery, California.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)

Showing 3 of 1,646 records for Walden in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain).

Australia406 records

406 records of the Walden name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 207
  • Queensland State Archives indexes 70
  • Other Australian records 129
  1. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record George Walden

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Elphinstone, sailing from London in 1837. Native of Winstone, Gloucestershire. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1845.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Eustace Vivian Walden

    Born 1874 in Launceston, Tasmania. Married 1897 in Launceston, Tasmania, aged 22.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Ellen Walden

    Arrived in Victoria in 1852 aboard the Tulloch Castle, aged 25; English.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 406 records for Walden in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain); Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Canada58 records

58 records of the Walden name in Canada
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 23
  • City of Calgary cemetery records 10
  • Other Canadian records 25
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Henry Walden

    Came to Ontario in 1873 aboard the Polynesian, landing at Quebec, bound for Meaford, Ontario; English.

    Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Edward Walden

    Buried in 1968 at Queen's Park Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 65.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.
  3. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Vera Walden

    Died 1959; buried at Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver, British Columbia.

    City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver.

Showing 3 of 58 records for Walden in Canada.

Counts: City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · Contains information provided by the City of Waterloo under licence · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0).

Netherlands19 records

19 records of the Walden name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch population registers 10
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 5
  • Dutch church registers before 1811 4
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Hans Walden

    Died 1940 in 's-Gravenhage, aged 30.

    Open Archives, Haags Gemeentearchief (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Alwine Walden

    Married in 1935 in Amsterdam.

    Open Archives, Noord-Hollands Archief (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 2 of 19 records for Walden in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain).

United Kingdom14 records

14 records of the Walden name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 13
  • St James's burial ground, Euston (London), 1789–1853 1
  1. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record J. Walden

    Gunner, Royal Army Medical Corps-. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)
  2. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record F. N. Walden

    Royal Fusiliers. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)

Showing 2 of 14 records for Walden in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

Germany12 records

12 records of the Walden name in Germany
  • Germany's First World War casualty lists, 1914–1919 11
  • German emigration and citizenship files 1
  1. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Karl Walden

    From Leynau, Ortelsburg. Reported wounded in the Prussian casualty list of 9 August 1916 (Landwehr Infantry Regiment No. 57).

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)
  2. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Georg Walden

    From Zabrze. Reported missing in the Prussian casualty list of 9 November 1917; then reported taken prisoner in the list of 2 January 1918.

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)

Showing 2 of 12 records for Walden in Germany.

Counts: Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0) · Deutsche Digitale Bibliothek (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Deutsche Verlustlisten, Prussian list 1116, 18 April 1918 (scan via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0).

France8 records

8 records of the Walden name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Walter Charles Walden

    Born 1945 in the United States; died 2000 in Paris.

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  2. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Corinne Walden

    Born 1927 in the United States; died 2001 in Férolles-Attilly (Seine-et-Marne).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 2 of 8 records for Walden in France.

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Finland8 records

8 records of the Walden name in Finland
  • Finland's war dead, 1914–1922 6
  • Finland's war dead, 1939–1945 2
  1. A page of the Livre d’or of the French war dead, Paris
    Example: roll of the war dead
    War record Rudolf Walden

    Born 1911 in Valkeakoski; company official. Died in 1941 during Finland's wars of 1939–1945; buried in Valkeakoski.

    Kansallisarkisto, via WarSampo (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the Livre d’or of the French war dead, Paris
    Example: roll of the war dead
    War record Kustaa Henriikanpoika Waldén

    Born 1878; smallholder. Died in 1918, one of the dead of Finland's wars of 1914–1922.

    Kansallisarkisto, via Sotasurmasampo (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 2 of 8 records for Walden in Finland.

Counts: Kansallisarkisto, via Sotasurmasampo (CC BY 4.0) · Kansallisarkisto, via WarSampo (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Livre d’or of the war dead, Paris, Ministère des pensions, Archives nationales (CC0).

Norway6 records

6 records of the Walden name in Norway Norway's 1910 census
  1. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Census record Nora Cathrine Waldén

    Census of 1910: Nordbyens gate, Tønsberg; "modedame", born 1887 in Tønsberg.

    Arkivverket, Digitalarkivet, 1910 census (CC BY 3.0 NO)
  2. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Census record Christian Fr. Waldén

    Census of 1910: Nordbyens gate, Tønsberg; "wolantør", born 1895 in Tønsberg.

    Arkivverket, Digitalarkivet, 1910 census (CC BY 3.0 NO)

Showing 2 of 6 records for Walden in Norway.

Counts: Arkivverket, Digitalarkivet, 1910 census (CC BY 3.0 NO). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. census of 1910, Milwaukee (public domain).

New Zealand5 records

5 records of the Walden name in New Zealand
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 4
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 1
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Claude Murray Walden

    Died 1960, aged 61; buried at Ruru Lawn, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the Livre d’or of the French war dead, Paris
    Example: roll of the war dead
    War record F. Walden

    New Zealand Infantry. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1917.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)

Showing 2 of 5 records for Walden in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); Livre d’or of the war dead, Paris, Ministère des pensions, Archives nationales (CC0).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Walden.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Walden is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

See the Walden volume
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