Walsh
An Irish and English surname meaning “Welshman” or “a person from Wales.”
The #295 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 2,938 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Walsh comes from an old word meaning “Welsh” or “foreign,” ultimately from Old English Wealh, meaning a Welshman or, more broadly, a foreigner. In medieval records it appears in forms like le Walshe and Walshe, literally “the Welshman.” The name was used both in England and especially in Ireland for someone identified as Welsh by origin or ancestry.
History
The surname is very common in Ireland, where it became one of the major surnames associated with English and Norman-era naming practices. Historical records show it in England by the 13th century, and later sources note it as a common Irish surname. Some families may descend from Welsh settlers, while in other cases the name simply marked an outsider or newcomer.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Walsh has long ranked among the most common surnames in Ireland, and nineteenth-century surname writers often listed it among the leading Irish names.
From the historical record
“WALSBY, V. Walesby. WALSH '1 (Eng.) Welshman, Celt [M.E. WALSHE ) Watshe,&.c.; O.E.WeBlisc,W(e)alisc, Welsh, foreign; f. W(e)al{h, Welshman, foreigner] John le Walshe.^ Lane. Fines, A.V. 1326. . . . and Walshe [auditors of Chester].”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)