Wald Family History

German and English: topographic name for someone who lived in or near a forest (Old High German wald northern Middle English wald). Jewish (Ashkenazic): artificial name from German Wald ‘forest’. Very few Jews would have been living anywhere near a forest at the time when they acquired surnames so as a Jewish name its origins are unlikely to be topographic.

German: in some cases from the old personal name Waldo (from walt ‘rule power’). Americanized form of Norwegian Wold or Vold (see Voll).