Welbert
A masculine given name of English origin, derived from the elements meaning "well" and "bright".
Name Census estimates that about 2 living Americans carry the first name Welbert. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Welbert today is around 70 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Welbert births was 1935 (7 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Welbert. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Welbert is about 70 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Welberts were born before 1966.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Welbert. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
2
~ 1 in 171,377,169 Americans
Peak year
1935
7 babies that year
Average age
70
years old
1935 SSA rank
#3,245
Tracked since 1935
Popularity
Welbert: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Welbert by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Welbert during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1930s | 7 | 0 | 7 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Welbert
The given name Welbert has its linguistic origins rooted in the Germanic language family, particularly in the Old English and Old Frisian dialects spoken in parts of what is now northern Germany and the Netherlands during the early medieval period. The name is a compound derived from the Old English/Old Frisian elements "wel" meaning "well" or "good," and "berht" meaning "bright" or "shining." Thus, the name Welbert can be interpreted as "bright" or "shining well."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Welbert dates back to the 9th century, when it appeared in the Vita Sancti Liudgeri, a hagiography of the Frisian missionary Saint Ludger. This text mentions a nobleman named Welbert who was a member of the court of Charlemagne, the famous Frankish king who ruled from 768 to 814 AD.
During the Middle Ages, the name Welbert was relatively uncommon but still appeared occasionally in various regions of northern Europe. One notable bearer of the name was Welbert of Rothenburg (c. 1180 - c. 1244), a German nobleman and crusader who participated in the Fifth Crusade and was later appointed as the Grand Master of the Teutonic Order from 1238 until his death.
In the 16th century, Welbert Tybalt (1511 - 1567) was a Dutch Catholic priest and theologian who played a prominent role in the Counter-Reformation movement in the Low Countries. He was known for his writings defending Catholic doctrine against Protestant reformers.
Another historical figure named Welbert was Welbert Goldsmid (1686 - 1748), a British merchant and financier who made a fortune in the East India trade. He was also a prominent member of the Jewish community in London and was involved in various philanthropic endeavors.
In the 19th century, Welbert Canning (1798 - 1864) was a British naval officer and explorer who participated in several expeditions to the Arctic regions. He is particularly notable for his service as the second-in-command of Sir John Franklin's ill-fated expedition to the Northwest Passage in 1845, during which he and the entire crew perished.
While the name Welbert has fallen out of widespread use in modern times, it remains a part of the rich tapestry of historical given names, reflecting the cultural and linguistic heritage of the Germanic peoples of northern Europe.
People
Welbert + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Welbert as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with W
Other first names starting with W with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Welbert: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Welbert?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 2 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Welbert going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 171,377,169 US residents.
Is Welbert a common name?
We classify Welbert as "Very Rare". It ranks above 4.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 7 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Welbert most popular?
The single biggest year for Welbert was 1935, when 7 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Welbert is about 70 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Welbert in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Welbert a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Welbert in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Welbert still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Welbert in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Welbert can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people share the name Welbert?
You can see how many Americans are named Welbert on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.