Show ContentsWalls History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The ancestors of the name Walls date back to the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. The name is derived from when the Walls family lived near a stone-built wall. Walls is a local surname, which belongs to the category of hereditary surnames. Other types of local surnames include topographic surnames, which could be given to a person who lived beside any physical feature, such as a hill, stream, church or type of tree. Habitation names form the other broad category of surnames that were derived from place-names. They were derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads. Other local names are derived from the names of houses, manors, estates, regions, and entire counties. The surname Walls referred to a person who lived beside a large stone wall, which was used either for the purpose of fortification, or to keep back the encroachment of the sea. Members of the Walls family were established in Gloucestershire prior to the Norman Conquest of England, in 1066. By the time of the Conquest, they were major landholders in that county.

Early Origins of the Walls family

The surname Walls was first found in Gloucestershire where they held a family seat from very ancient times and appeared as holders of lands in the Domesday Book compiled in 1086 by King William of England. The name was from the Anglo Saxon Wal, meaning a stranger. Wales is a parish, in the union of Worksop, S. division of the wapentake of Strafforth and Tickhill in the West Riding of Yorkshire. "This parish, in the Domesday Survey called Walise, belonged to Morcar, Earl of Northumberland, in the reign of Edward the Confessor." [1]

Early History of the Walls family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Walls research. Another 134 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1172, 1210, 1303, 1352, 1588, 1620, 1647, 1666, 1679, 1728, 1760, 1789 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Walls History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Walls Spelling Variations

It is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, early Anglo-Saxon surnames like Walls are characterized by many spelling variations. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages, even literate people changed the spelling of their names. The variations of the name Walls include: Wall, Walls, Wale, Walles and others.

Early Notables of the Walls family

Distinguished members of the family include Sir Thomas Wale (1303-1352), an English soldier and co-founder of the Knight of the Garter; William de Wall, the knight who accompanied Strongbow; Saint John Wall, O.F.M., (1620-1679), an English Catholic Franciscan friar, apprehended under suspicion of being a party to the Titus Oates plot, was executed and later honored...
Another 55 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Walls Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Walls Ranking

In the United States, the name Walls is the 697th most popular surname with an estimated 42,279 people with that name. [2] However, in New Zealand, the name Walls is ranked the 970th most popular surname with an estimated 771 people with that name. [3]

Ireland Migration of the Walls family to Ireland

Some of the Walls family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 80 words (6 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Walls migration to the United States +

Many English families tired of political and religious strife left Britain for the new colonies in North America. Although the trip itself offered no relief - conditions on the ships were extremely cramped, and many travelers arrived diseased, starving, and destitute - these immigrants believed the opportunities that awaited them were worth the risks. Once in the colonies, many of the families did indeed prosper and, in turn, made significant contributions to the culture and economies of the growing colonies. An inquiry into the early roots of North American families has revealed a number of immigrants bearing the name Walls or a variant listed above:

Walls Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • John Walls, who arrived in Maryland in 1678 [4]
  • Benjamin Walls, who arrived in Maryland in 1697-1698 [4]
Walls Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • William Walls, who settled in Annapolis Maryland in 1758
Walls Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Edmund Walls, who landed in Virginia in 1800 [4]
  • James Walls, who landed in America in 1811 [4]
  • Teresa Walls, who arrived in Puerto Rico in 1812 [4]
  • Michael Walls, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1832 [4]
  • Joseph Walls, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1834 [4]
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Canada Walls migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Walls Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Australia Walls migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Walls Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Thomas Walls, British Convict who was convicted in Hertford, Hertfordshire, England for 15 years, transported aboard the "Coromandel" on 25th June 1838, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) [6]
  • Joseph Walls, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "City of London" in 1840 [7]
  • Miss Ann Walls, (Docherty), Scottish convict who was convicted in Edinburgh, Scotland for 7 years , transported aboard the "Aurora" on 22nd April 1851, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) [8]
  • Thomas Walls, aged 36, who arrived in South Australia in 1851 aboard the ship "Marion" [9]
  • Mr. William Walls, (b. 1820), aged 33, Cornish mason departing from Plymouth on 17th September 1852 aboard the ship "Time and Truth" arriving in Geelong, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia on 5th January 1853 [10]
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

New Zealand Walls migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Walls Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Mr. John Walls, (b. 1831), aged 28, Scottish joiner from Aberdeen travelling from London aboard the ship "Zealandia" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 14th November 1859 [11]
  • Mr. Francis Walls, (b. 1837), aged 23, British farm labourer travelling from London aboard the ship "Gananoque" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 9th May 1860 [12]
  • Miss Eliza Walls, (b. 1841), aged 20, British settler travelling from Bristol aboard the ship "Matoaka" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 10th February 1862 [12]
  • Mr. James Walls, (b. 1840), aged 21, British farm labourer travelling from Bristol aboard the ship "Matoaka" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 10th February 1862 [12]
  • Mr. Walls, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Evening Star" arriving in Lyttelton, Canterbury, New Zealand on 13th April 1863 [12]
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Walls (post 1700) +

  • William "Bill" Thomas Walls (1914-1993), American professional football tight end
  • Jon Walls, American politician, Independent Candidate for U.S. Senator from Tennessee, 1994 [13]
  • Johnnie E. Walls, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Mississippi, 1996 [13]
  • Mrs. John M. Walls, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Kansas, 1952 [13]
  • John Walls, American Democratic Party politician, Member of Pennsylvania State Senate 14th District, 1865-67 [13]
  • James L. Walls Jr., American politician, Mayor of District Heights, Maryland, 2006-13 [13]
  • Fred Walls, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Delaware, 1920 [13]
  • F. P. Walls, American Republican politician, Candidate for Governor of Alabama, 1962 [13]
  • Donald G. Walls, American Democratic Party politician, Member of New York Democratic State Committee, 1964 [13]
  • David C. Walls, American politician, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Kentucky, 1945-53 [13]
  • ... (Another 12 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Monongah Mine
  • Mr. William R. Walls (b. 1886), American coal miner who was in mine 6 at the Monongah mine on 6th December 1907 when it exploded and collapsed; he died [14]


  1. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  2. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  3. "Most Common Last Names in New Zealand." Forebears, https://forebears.io/new-zealand/surnames
  4. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  5. Seary E.R., Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland, Montreal: McGill's-Queen's Universtity Press 1998 ISBN 0-7735-1782-0
  6. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 19th March 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/coromandel
  7. State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) CITY OF LONDON 1840. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1840CityOfLondon.gif
  8. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 20th August 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/aurora
  9. State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) MARION 1851 - HER HISTORY. Retrieved http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1851Marion.htm
  10. Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 3rd May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_australia_victoria.pdf
  11. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  12. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  13. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, December 11) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  14. Monongah Mining Disaster retrieved on 8th August 2021. (Retrieved fromhttps://usminedisasters.miningquiz.com/saxsewell/monongah.htm).


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