WALL members around the world

WALL Family History

Recorded in over forty spellings including Wall and Walle (English) Wall, Wallmann (German) Wahl and the ornamentals Wallenberg and Wahlberg (Swedish), it is recorded in many parts of Northern Europe. It may also have Irish origins. All nationalities are slightly different in meaning. If English or German it means a defensive wall as described below, if Swedish a grassy bank or flood barrier, and as an ornamental name 'Pasture-hill', or for something completely different the Irish translation, which derives from the ancient Gaelic 'de Bahl' and means a stranger! In Sweden ornamental surnames were introduced in the 18th century to try to obtain variety from the patronymics such as Anderssen or Tomsen which formed the overwhelming numbers in the lsist making identification very difficult...