Wal Coat of Arms and Surname Origin

Ask a genealogist about Wal and the first name they will mention is Wahl. Its meaning, shared with Wahl, is “Foreigner”. Wal drops the “h” of Wahl, a shortening that clerks often made. Spellings drifted because names were written down by ear in parish books, tax rolls and passenger lists. Other spellings include Wahls, Wahle and Vahl.

According to the 2010 US Census, the Wal surname had 320 bearers. That puts it inside the top 100,000 US surnames.

Heraldry is personal: arms associated with the Wahl surname were borne by specific families, and sharing the name does not mean sharing the blazon. Want more than a summary? See the Wal family name pack.