The surname Wall is of English origin. It was a topographical name for someone who lived by a stone-built wall, for example one used to fortify a town or to keep back the encroachment of the sea ( derived from the Old English ‘w(e)all, from the Latin ‘vallum’, rampart, palisade ). In Northern England it is a topographical name for someone who lived by a spring or stream, derived from the Northern Middle English ‘wall(e)’. To the Swedes it is an ornamental name from the Swedish ‘wall, vall’, grassy bank, pasture, or grazing ground, perhaps adopted in some cases as a topographical name for someone who lived by a grassy bank. A family could acquire a place name as a surname under three different circumstances: 1. the gentleman lived or worked in or near some topographical formation or landscape feature, either natural or artificial. 2. he formerly lived in a village and thus acquired the reputation of being from that place. 3. he owned or was lord of the village or manor designated. However, it is safe to say that in most cases a placename merely identifies the place where the original bearer of the name formerly resided; as is the case with the surname Wall. The Irish have use…
Coat of arms: Argent, on a…