Origins of the Walsh surname

What does the name Walsh mean?

The origin of the Walsh surname is English. It's a descriptive surname that derives from the Old English word 'welisc' (Foreigner or Welshman), and would have been given to those who had crossed borders to settle in England with their descendants. Perhaps unsurprisingly this name is relatively uncommon in Wales itself, but more often is seen in England.

Alternative variations of the name Walsh

Walsh, Walch, Walshe, Wallsh, Wolsh

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Delve deeper into the Walsh family's history

OrkneyShetlandHighlandsWestern IslesGrampianTaysideCentralStrathclydeFifeLothianBordersDumfriesNorth East 463North West 884Isle of Man 28Yorkshire 2524East Midlands 143West Midlands 296East 408London 11505South East 792South West 763South Wales 240Mid Wales 18West Wales 4North Wales 69Republic of IrelandNorthern Ireland

In 1921, most Walshs lived in london

Census records trace your ancestors through each generation, so you can follow where your relatives lived through each decade.

180,000 Walsh Travel & migration records
160,000 Walshs found in all Census records

Interesting facts about Walsh

How common is your surname?

185th most common surname in the UK

We have for the Walsh surname. The oldest one dates back to .

Who were Walshs most likely to marry?

Our tell us which families married Walshs.

What are the most common Walsh first names?

John

James

Mary

Margaret

Our tell us the names of Walsh family members
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Census records provide incredible detail on names, ages, marital statuses, occupations and more.

Common jobs for Walshs

Men and women often performed different types of jobs, so these are displayed by gender to maintain their historical accuracy.

Commmon female occupations for Walshs in 1921

Cotton Weaver

1,976

Cotton Winder

487

Dressmaker

481

Weaver

431

Weaver Cotton

382

Commmon male occupations for Walshs in 1921

General Labourer

995

Cotton Weaver

935

Coal Miner

686

Dock Labourer

429

Tailor

414

We found over 240,000 family trees with the Walsh surname

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