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Walsh Family History

Walsh Name Meaning

English and Irish: ethnic name from Middle English walshe (Old English wælisc) ‘foreign Welsh’. This form of the name was generally more common than Welsh especially in Ireland where it originally denoted a Welsh-speaking immigrant in particular any of the Welshmen who arrived in the wake of Strongbow's Anglo-Norman invasion of 1170. In Ireland it is sometimes also a translation of Breathnach ‘Briton’. English: in Yorkshire and Lancashire the name is sometimes a shortened form of Walshaw .

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


Similar surnames: Welsh, Wall, Walshe, Walch, Waas, Walko, Eash, Dash, Wali, Walen

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Black & white image of a young woman scientist

Where is the Walsh family from?

You can see how Walsh families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Walsh family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Walsh families were found in USA in 1880. In 1911 there were 1,556 Walsh families living in Ontario. This was about 44% of all the recorded Walsh's in Canada. Ontario had the highest population of Walsh families in 1911.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Walsh surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

What did your Walsh ancestors do for a living?

In 1921, Farmer and Stenographer were the top reported jobs for men and women in the Canada named Walsh. 25% of Walsh men worked as a Farmer and 12% of Walsh women worked as a Stenographer. Some less common occupations for Americans named Walsh were Clerk and Income. .

View Census Data for Walsh | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Male Occupations In 1921

  • Farmer
    25%
  • Labourer
    9%
  • Laborer
    7%
  • Clerk
    4%

Top Female Occupations In 1921

  • Stenographer
    12%
  • Housekeeper
    9%
  • Clerk
    7%
  • Income
    7%
Black & white image of two construction labourers

What Walsh family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 1 million census records available for the last name Walsh. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Walsh census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search Canadian census records for Walsh

Passenger Lists

There are 243,000 immigration records available for the last name Walsh. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in Canada, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Walsh immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 162,000 military records available for the last name Walsh. For the veterans among your Walsh ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Walsh military records

You've only scratched the surface of Walsh family history

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What is the average Walsh lifespan?

Between 1940 and 2004, in the United States, Walsh life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1944, and highest in 2004. The average life expectancy for Walsh in 1940 was 46, and 76 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Walsh

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