Waldner Last Name: Meaning and Heraldic Roots

Genealogists group Waldner with Wallner. The name is usually explained as “forest dweller or pilgrim”.

Family crest and blazon

Heraldry is personal: arms associated with the Wallner surname were borne by specific families, and sharing the name does not mean sharing the blazon.

How the spelling arose

Waldner writes “d” in place of the “l” found in Wallner, a common scribal difference. Census takers and immigration officers often wrote what they heard.

The 2010 US Census counted 2,238 people named Waldner, ranking it number 13,545 among American surnames. French civil records give 230 births under the name Waldner from 1891 to 2000, peaking in 1961–1970. There were 11 such births in the 1890s and 18 in the 1990s. Want more than a summary? See the Waldner family name pack.