WALDER
Walder is a surname with roots in both the English and German linguistic traditions. It is an occupational or topographic name that appears in the historical records of the British Isles and continental Europe. The name is derived from the Middle English and Old High German word wald, meaning “forest” or “woodland”, combined with the suffix -er which denotes a person who works or lives in a particular place.
The earliest documented spelling of a name bearing this root is William de Welde, found in feudal documents issued by the Abbey of Bury St. Edmunds between 1121 and 1148, during the reign of King Henry I. Subsequent records in London show the christening of Joannes, son of Joannis and Sarae Walder, on 30 March 1673 at St. Martin-in-the-Fields, and the marriage of Robert Walder to Elizabeth Bearcroft on 4 October 1697 at St. Katherine-by-the‑Tower. In 1781 the christening of John Jacob, son of John and Mary Walder, was recorded at St. Andrew’s, Holborn. These entries illustrate that the name was established in the United Kingdom by the late seventeenth century.
Beyond its British use, Walder is also a recognised surname in Germany, Switzerland, Austria and Sweden. In Germany the name is most frequently found in Baden-Württemberg, followed by North Rhine‑Westphalia, Bavaria and Lower Saxony. Swiss bearers of the name are especially concentrated in the cantons of Bern and Zurich, while Austrian instances occur mainly in Vienna. In Sweden the surname appears predominantly in Stockholm. In the United States, Walder ranks as the 1,618th most common surname, reflecting migration from continental Europe during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
The surname has several recognised variants that arise from regional pronunciation and spelling differences. Among the English forms are Wald, Waud, Wood(e), Waldman and Walder itself. Germanic variants include Walther, Waldher, Wallther and members of the broader family of names such as Walter, which shares the common elements wald (rule) and heri (army). Other forms that have appeared in historical documents are Wailer, Widders and Welter.
There is no single heraldic device or coat of arms that can be assigned to all families bearing the name Walder. Some branches of the name may share similarities with the armorial bearings of unrelated families, but these are coincidental rather than indicative of a common lineage. Consequently, the surname is primarily of topographic or occupational origin rather than being associated with a specific noble lineage.
Typical given names associated with the Walder surname
Male
- Alan
- Andrew
- Christopher
- David
- John
- Matthew
- Michael
- Peter
- Philip
- Robert
- Stephen
Female
- Amy
- Christine
- Claire
- Elizabeth
- Geraldine
- Jacqueline
- Jane
- Janet
- Karen
- Laura
- Michelle
- Susan
Similar and related surnames
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Walder in...
Braille
⠺⠁⠇⠙⠑⠗
Morse
.--.-.-..-....-.
Semaphore
There are approximately 1,485 people named Walder in the UK. That makes it roughly the 5,396th most common surname in Britain. Around 23 in a million people in Britain are named Walder.
Surname type: Occupational name
Origin: English
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: England
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: English
Famous people named Walder
- Dave Walder - Rugby union player
- David Walder - Politician (1928 to 1978)
Names and descriptions courtesy of Wikipedia, and may contain errors. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of every famous person with this name.