Show ContentsWaller History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The ancient name of Waller finds its origins with the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. It comes from a name for a mason. [1] Hence, Waller is an occupational surname, which belongs to the category of hereditary surnames. Occupational surnames were derived from the primary activity of the bearer. In the Middle Ages, people did not generally live off of the fruits of their labor in a particular job. Rather, they performed a specialized task, as well as farming, for subsistence. Other occupational names were derived from an object associated with a particular activity. The surname was given to people who worked as stone masons. This surname was established in England, in the county of Nottingham, prior to the Norman Conquest of 1066.

Early Origins of the Waller family

The surname Waller was first found in Nottinghamshire where John le Walmur was one of the first listings of the name. [2] While this is one of the first records, the name could have originated in Kent as noted "from Walers or Valers, of the Eastern Counties, probably descended from the Kentish family of Waller, who bore three leaves on a bend voided." [3]

Continuing this investigation revealed William Waliere was listed as a Knight's Templar in Kent in 1185. [2] William le Waller was bailiff in Norwich in 1232.

From this point the name spread rapidly as seen by listings in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273: Robert le Waller in Norfolk; and Peter le Walur in Oxfordshire. The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 listed Thomas Dyekok, waller, and Willelmus Goderd, waller. [4]

Early History of the Waller family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Waller research. Another 120 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1597, 1604, 1606, 1624, 1639, 1666, 1668, 1678, 1679, 1680, 1682, 1687, 1699 and 1791 are included under the topic Early Waller History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Waller Spelling Variations

Sound was what guided spelling in the essentially pre-literate Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Also, before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Therefore, spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Waller family name include Waller, Wallere and others.

Early Notables of the Waller family

Notables of this surname at this time include:

  • Edmund Waller, FRS (1606-1687), an English poet and politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1624 and 1679
  • Sir Hardress Waller (c. 1604-1666), an English parliamentarian condemned to death for regicide, but was never executed
  • Sir William Waller (c. 1597-1668), the famous English Parliamentary general during the English Civil War

Waller World Ranking

In the United States, the name Waller is the 784th most popular surname with an estimated 37,305 people with that name. [5] However, in Australia, the name Waller is ranked the 950th most popular surname with an estimated 4,176 people with that name. [6] And in New Zealand, the name Waller is the 869th popular surname with an estimated 842 people with that name. [7] The United Kingdom ranks Waller as 580th with 11,299 people. [8]

Ireland Migration of the Waller family to Ireland

Some of the Waller family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Waller migration to the United States +

For political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, the Canadas, the America colonies, and many of smaller tropical colonies in the hope of finding better lives abroad. Although the passage on the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving, those families that survived the trip often went on to make valuable contributions to those new societies to which they arrived. Early immigrants bearing the Waller surname or a spelling variation of the name include :

Waller Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Mr. John Waller, who arrived in Jamestown, Virginia aboard the ship "Discovery" in 1607 [9]
  • Mr. Charles Waller, (b. 1598), aged 22, British servant who arrived in Virginia in 1620 aboard the ship "Abigaile" [10]
  • Christopher Waller, who landed in Ipswich, Massachusetts in 1620 [11]
  • Charles Waller, who arrived in Jamestown, Va in 1624 [11]
  • Mr. Jo. Waller, aged 19, who arrived in Virginia in 1635 aboard the ship "Transport" [9]
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Waller Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Johan Fredrick Waller, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1730 [11]
  • Johann Frederick Waller, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1730
  • Nicholas Waller, aged 41, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1738 [11]
  • Johann Peter Waller, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1742 [11]
  • Jacob Waller, who arrived in Maryland in 1749 [11]
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Waller Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Richard Waller, who landed in America in 1801-1802 [11]
  • Henry Waller, who landed in New York in 1814 [11]
  • Iver Waller, who arrived in Illinois in 1837 [11]
  • Alfred Waller, who landed in New York, NY in 1845 [11]
  • while Carl Waller, who settled in Texas in 1850 at the age of 36
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Waller Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Mrs. Isabella Waller, aged 50, British settler who arrived in New York aboard the ship "Cynosure" in 1863

Canada Waller migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Waller Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • Mr. James Waller U.E. who settled in St. Stephen, New Brunswick c. 1784 member of the Port Matoon Association [12]
Waller Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Patrick Waller, aged 28 who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "James Moran" departing 22nd May 1847 from Liverpool, England; the ship arrived on 11th July 1847 but he died on board [13]
Waller Settlers in Canada in the 20th Century
  • Arthur H Waller, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1907

Australia Waller migration to Australia +

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

Waller Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • James Waller, English convict from Cambridge, who was transported aboard the "Albion" on May 17, 1823, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia [14]
  • William Waller, English convict from Middlesex, who was transported aboard the "Albion" on September 21, 1826, settling in New South Wales, Australia [15]
  • Mrs. Catherine Waller, (b. 1809), aged 22, English servant who was convicted in Middlesex, England for 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Burrell" on 31st December 1831, arriving in New South Wales, listed as having her son aboard the ship [16]
  • Miss Eliza Waller, English convict who was convicted in Middlesex, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Fanny" on 14th July 1832, arriving in New South Wales, Australia [17]
  • Mr. Cornelius Waller, English convict who was convicted in Norwich, Norfolk, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Captain Cook" on 2nd May 1833, arriving in New South Wales, Australia [18]
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

New Zealand Waller 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:

Waller Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • William Waller, aged 40, a farm labourer, who arrived in Port Nicholson aboard the ship "Gertrude" in 1841 [19]
  • Mary Waller, aged 40, who arrived in Port Nicholson aboard the ship "Gertrude" in 1841 [19]
  • Mary Waller, aged 16, a sempstress, who arrived in Port Nicholson aboard the ship "Gertrude" in 1841 [19]
  • Charlotte Waller, aged 14, a sempstress, who arrived in Port Nicholson aboard the ship "Gertrude" in 1841 [19]
  • Mr. Alfred Waller, British settler referred to as the Parkhurst Boys travelling from London aboard the ship "Mandarin" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 14th November 1843, he had been taught trades and pardoned to live in New Zealand [20]
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

West Indies Waller migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. [21]
Waller Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century
  • Jo Waller, aged 17, who arrived in Barbados in 1635 [11]
  • Andrew Waller, who settled in Barbados in 1639

Contemporary Notables of the name Waller (post 1700) +

  • Frank Waller (1885-1941), American two time sliver Olympic medalist for 400m Hurdles and running at the 1904 games
  • Thomas "Fats" Waller (1904-1943), American jazz musician, posthumously inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame
  • William Lowe "Bill" Waller Sr. (b. 1926), American politician, Governor of Mississippi (1972 to 1976)
  • Littleton "Tony" Waller Tazewell Waller (1856-1926), American United States Marine Corps Major General
  • Edwin Waller (1800-1881), American judge and entrepreneur, signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence, the first mayor of Austin, Texas
  • Charles "Charlie" Waller (1935-2004), American bluegrass musician
  • Benjamin Waller (1716-1786), American attorney and judge in Virginia
  • Tye Waller (b. 1957), American Major League Baseball first base coach
  • Constance Waller (b. 1926), prominent American educator and counselor
  • Casper D. Waller, American politician, Member of Wisconsin State Assembly, 1943-49 [22]
  • ... (Another 43 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Bismarck
  • Johann Waller (1919-1941), German Matrosengefreiter who served aboard the German Battleship Bismarck during World War II when it was sunk heading to France; he died in the sinking [23]
  • Daniel Waller (1921-1941), German Matrosengefreiter who served aboard the German Battleship Bismarck during World War II when it was sunk heading to France; he died in the sinking [23]
HMS Cornwall
  • Wilfred Neville Waller, British Lieutenant aboard the HMS Cornwall (1942) when she was struck by air bombers and sunk; he survived the sinking [24]
HMS Hood
  • Mr. William J Waller (b. 1920), English Stoker 2nd Class serving for the Royal Navy from Portsmouth, Hampshire, England, who sailed into battle and died in the HMS Hood sinking [25]


The Waller Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Hic fructus virtutis
Motto Translation: This is the fruit of valour.


  1. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  2. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  3. The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
  4. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  5. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  6. "Most Common Last Names in Australia." Forebears, https://forebears.io/australia/surnames
  7. "Most Common Last Names in New Zealand." Forebears, https://forebears.io/new-zealand/surnames
  8. "UK surname ranking." UK Surname map, https://www.surnamemap.eu/unitedkingdom/surnames_ranking.php?p=10
  9. Pilgrim Ship's of 1600's Retrieved January 6th 2023, retrieved from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
  10. Pilgrim Ship's of 1600's. Retrieved January 6th 2023 from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
  11. 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)
  12. Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
  13. Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 98)
  14. State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Albion voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1823 with 200 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/albion/1823
  15. State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Albion voyage to New South Wales, Australia in 1826 with 192 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/albion/1826
  16. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 5th November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/burrell
  17. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 29th September 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/fanny
  18. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 17th December 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/captain-cook
  19. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 12th December 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  20. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  21. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
  22. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, December 11) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  23. Bismarck & Tirpitz Class - Crew List Bismarck. (Retrieved 2018, February 06). Retrieved from https://www.bismarck-class.dk/bismarck/crew/bismarck_crew.html#crew_details
  24. Force Z Survivors Crew List HMS Cornwall (Retrieved 2018, February 13th) - Retrieved from https://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listcornwallcrew.html#A
  25. H.M.S. Hood Association-Battle Cruiser Hood: Crew Information - H.M.S. Hood Rolls of Honour, Men Lost in the Sinking of H.M.S. Hood, 24th May 1941. (Retrieved 2016, July 15) . Retrieved from http://www.hmshood.com/crew/memorial/roh_24may41.htm


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