Boy name · Old French
Wallace
Name meaning, origin and popularity
: foreigner, WelshmanWallace is a boy's name that comes from Old French and means "foreigner, Welshman". It is used in English and Scottish.
- Meaning
- Foreigner, Welshman
- Origin
- Old French
- Gender
- Boy
- US rank
- #964 in 2025
Meaning and origin of Wallace
As a boy's name, Wallace comes from Old French and means "foreigner, Welshman". It is used in English and Scottish.
Wallace is also a surname: the 128th most common in the 2020 US Census, held by 189,325 people. See the most common last names.
Meanings come from published name dictionaries, led by Behind the Name. How we research names
Wallace on Nomezo lists
What our editors wrote about Wallace on 4 lists.
“After Sir William, Scotland's hero of the 1290s wars”
From Highland cattle names, scottish bull names for boys
“Foreigner, Welshman; Old French. Honors Scottish hero William”
From Old man names, old boy names from the 1900s to 1920s
“Norman French for foreigner or Welshman; after Sir William.”
From Scottish boy names, scottish clan and surname names for boys
“Anglo-Norman waleis, a Welshman or Strathclyde Briton”
From Scottish last names, lowland and Border family names
How popular is Wallace?
- US rank in 2025
- #964
- 241 babies, 141 per million boys
- Best rank
- #69 in 1923
- 2,803 babies that year
- Babies since 1880
- At least 83,263
- Years with under 5 are not listed
| 1880s | 921 per million |
|---|---|
| 1890s | 1,051 per million |
| 1900s | 1,218 per million |
| 1910s | 1,300 per million |
| 1920s | 1,898 per million |
| 1930s | 1,253 per million |
| 1940s | 770 per million |
| 1950s | 467 per million |
| 1960s | 309 per million |
| 1970s | 173 per million |
| 1980s | 100 per million |
| 1990s | 56 per million |
| 2000s | 45 per million |
| 2010s | 85 per million |
| 2020s | 137 per million |
| Year | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #1,019 | #1,023 | #882 | #895 | #919 | #892 | #970 | #1,016 | #984 | #964 |
Source: US Social Security Administration baby-name data, 1880 to 2025, as published in 2026. Each spelling is counted separately, a name given to fewer than 5 babies of one sex in a year is left out, and few people born before 1937 have records, which is why the chart shows babies per million rather than raw counts.
Middle names for Wallace
Picked from our middle-name lists with a different first letter and a shorter length, so the full name flows.
More boy names from Old French
- BellamyBeautiful friend (Old French, unisex)
- GrantGreat, large (Old French, boy)
- LyleIsland (Old French, boy)
- AlgernonHaving a mustache (Old French, boy)
- ArcherBowman (Old French, boy)
- BaileySteward, bailiff (Old French, unisex)
- CorbinRaven (Old French, boy)
- CurtisCourteous (Old French, boy)
- DarrellFrom Airelle, a place in Normandy (Old French, boy)
- FletcherArrow maker (Old French, boy)
Wallace: common questions
What does the name Wallace mean?
Wallace comes from Old French and means "foreigner, Welshman".
Is Wallace a boy or girl name?
Wallace is mainly a boy's name. In 2025, 6 girls and 241 boys in the US were named Wallace, according to Social Security Administration data.
Where does the name Wallace come from?
Wallace comes from Old French and means "foreigner, Welshman". Today it is used in English and Scottish.
How popular is the name Wallace?
Wallace ranked #964 in the US in 2025, with 241 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.
What middle names go with Wallace?
Middle names that flow well with Wallace include Asher, Basil, Dale, Dean and Isaac. A different first letter and a contrasting length usually sound best.