Wallace
Wallace was the 964th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 241 babies. Its best year was 1923, when it ranked 69th with 2,803 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 240 places. More babies were named Wallace in the 1920s than in any other decade.
Meaning "Welshman, foreigner" · Anglo-Norman, Scottish
Say it WAH-lis /ˈwɑləs/
- Rank in 2025
- #964 boys, down 45 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 241boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 19232,803 babies
- Total since 1880
- 83,851babies recorded
What does the name Wallace mean?
Wallace began as a Scottish surname. It comes from the Anglo-Norman waleis, "foreign; Welsh", a byname for a Welshman, a Breton from someone of Welsh or Breton origin. The surname was made famous by the Scottish patriot William Wallace (died 1305). Its use as a first name dates from the 19th century, when many Scottish surnames were adopted as given names in Britain and the United States.
waleis (Anglo-Norman, “foreign; Welsh”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Wally, Wallis, Walsh.
See also: Scottish names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Wallace', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Wikipedia, 'Wallace (given name)', Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation)
Nicknames for Wallace
The usual nicknames for Wallace are Wally. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 boys named Wallace in the last five years, 6 were named Wally, against 9 twenty years earlier.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Boys, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wally · also for Walter | Traditional | #5,838 | 70 |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are boys given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Wallaces go by each one.
Wallace popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 588 since 1898, 6 in 2025.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #964 | 241 |
| 2020 | #919 | 244 |
| 2010 | #1,911 | 75 |
| 2000 | #1,298 | 100 |
| 1990 | #897 | 132 |
| 1980 | #553 | 240 |
| 1970 | #405 | 401 |
| 1960 | #283 | 783 |
| 1950 | #198 | 1,062 |
| 1940 | #146 | 1,172 |
| 1930 | #112 | 1,618 |
| 1920 | #93 | 1,877 |
| 1910 | #132 | 251 |
| 1900 | #138 | 161 |
| 1890 | #115 | 138 |
| 1880 | #150 | 91 |
How popular is Wallace, counting every spelling?
Wallace has no other common spelling that sounds the same. Counting every name's spellings together, it ranks #925 for boys in 2025, against #964 on the official list.
How many kids will share the name Wallace?
241 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Wallace (0.07 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Wallace born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 35 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Wallace.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Wallace?
About 26,600 people born in the US named Wallace are alive today, with a median age of 65; half are between 47 and 76. That makes Wallace a name most people associate with older generations.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Wallace by state
How common Wallace was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Wisconsin (3.0×), Utah (2.9×), Minnesota (2.9×), Alabama (2.6×), Washington (2.3×). In 20 states fewer than five boys a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Wallace: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Wallace, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Wallace · Sibling names for Wallace
Questions about the name Wallace
What does Wallace mean?
Wallace means “"Welshman, foreigner"” (Anglo-Norman, Scottish origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Wallace?
Wallace was the 964th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 241 babies. Its best year was 1923, when it ranked 69th with 2,803 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 240 places. More babies were named Wallace in the 1920s than in any other decade.
Is Wallace a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Wallace in the US.
Where is Wallace most popular?
In 2021–2025, Wallace was most common in Wisconsin (0.41 per 1,000 boys), followed by Utah and Minnesota.