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Wallin History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Citations

Wallin History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Sweden
Wales

The Wallin surname comes from the Anglo-Norman personal name Walweyn, the Old German forename Waldwin, or the Old English personal name Wealdwine, which means power-friend. 1

Early Origins of the Wallin family

The surname Wallin was first found in Pembrokeshire (Welsh: Sir Benfro), a county in south-west Wales, anciently part of the Welsh kingdom of Deheubarth, where the family claim descent from Gualgnain or Gwalwynne, who was King Arthur's sister's son, as attested by historians William of Malmesbury, and Robert of Gloucester. The name traces its roots to Normandy where Geoffry Wawein was listed there in 1198. 2

The Domesday Book lists the name as Walduinus in Staffordshire. 1 Later in 1205, Welwin was listed in Essex.

John Wallensis, Walensis or Galensis (fl. 1215) was a Welsh canon lawyer who taught at Bologna, and wrote glosses and another John Wallensis or Waleys (fl. 1283), was a Franciscan, described as 'of Worcester' in a manuscript of his 'Summa Collectionum' at Peterhouse. 3

Thomas Wallensis or Gualensis (d. 1255), was a Welsh divine, Bishop of St. David's, former a canon of Lincoln in 1235. 3

Early History of the Wallin family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Wallin research. Another 140 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1066, 1336, 1342, 1343, 1379, 1389, 1600, 1647 and 1681 are included under the topic Early Wallin History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Wallin Spelling Variations

Compared to other ancient cultures found in the British Isles, the number of Welsh surnames are relatively few, but there are an inordinately large number of spelling variations. These spelling variations began almost as soon as surname usage became common. People could not specify how to spell their own names leaving the specific recording up to the individual scribe or priest. Those recorders would then spell the names as they heard them, causing many different variations. Later, many Welsh names were recorded in English. This transliteration process was extremely imprecise since the Brythonic Celtic language of the Welsh used many sounds the English language was not accustomed to. Finally, some variations occurred by the individual's design: a branch loyalty within a family, a religious adherence, or even patriotic affiliations were indicated by spelling variations of one's name. The Wallin name over the years has been spelled Walwyn, Wallwyn, Wallin, Walwin and others.

Early Notables of the Wallin family

Prominent amongst the family during the late Middle Ages was Richard Walwayn, High Sheriff of Herefordshire (1336-1342), John Walwayn, High Sheriff of Herefordshire in 1343; John Walwayne, High Sheriff of Herefordshire in 1379; Sir Malcolm Walwyn of Ledbury and William Walwyn (c. 1600-1681), an English...
Another 45 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Wallin Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Wallin Ranking

In the United States, the name Wallin is the 4,952^nd most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 4

Wallin migration to the United States +

The Welsh began to emigrate to North America in the late 1800s and early 1900s in search of land, work, and freedom. Those that arrived helped shape the industry, commerce, and the cultural heritage of both Canada and the United States. The records regarding immigration and passenger show a number of people bearing the name Wallin:

Wallin Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Rebecca Wallin, who arrived in Virginia in 1665 5

Wallin Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

John Wallin, who settled in New England in 1764

Wallin Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Geo Wallin, who arrived in New Orleans, La in 1813 5
Samuel Wallin, who landed in New York in 1833 5
Mr. Wallin, who settled in New York in 1841
Carl Johan Wallin, aged 22, who landed in New York in 1841 5
E Wallin, aged 36, who landed in Boston, Massachusetts in 1842 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Wallin migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Wallin Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Timothy Wallin, aged 30, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1833 aboard the brig "Thomas Hanford" from Cork, Ireland

Wallin 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:

Wallin Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Miss Maria Wallin, (b. 1838), aged 26, British settler travelling from Plymouth aboard the ship "Ivanhoe" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 13th June 1864 6
Miss Erika Christine Wallin, (b. 1854), aged 18, Scandinavian maid servant travelling from Hamburg aboard the ship "Palmerston" arriving in Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 12th December 1872 7

Contemporary Notables of the name Wallin (post 1700) +

Daniel Guy Wallin (1927-2024), American two-time Academy Award nominated sound engineer who worked on more than 500 films since 1965 including Woodstock (1970) and A Star Is Born (1976)
James Wallin (1942-2015), American politician, Mayor of Brainerd, Minnesota (1998-2015)
Vice Admiral Homer Norman Wallin (1893-1984), United States Navy officer
Alfred Wallin (1836-1923), American judge, one of the first three Justices of the Supreme Court of North Dakota from 1889 to 1902
Tore Wallin, American politician, Mayor of Boca Raton, Florida, 1970-71 8
Samuel Wallin (1856-1917), American Republican politician, Mayor of Amsterdam, New York, 1900-01; U.S. Representative from New York 30th District, 1913-15; Delegate to Republican National Convention from New York, 1916 8
Norm Wallin, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Montana, 1988 8
James E. Wallin, American politician, Mayor of Brainerd, Minnesota, 2002-09 8
Frank G. Wallin, American politician, Mayor of Waukegan, Illinois, 1941-49 8
Edward Wallin, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from California, 2004 8
... (Another 6 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

The Wallin 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: Drwy rynwedd gward
Motto Translation: In this cause I would bleed.

Citations +

Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
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)
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, December 11) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html