2000
#146,011
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Welbig
A German occupational surname meaning "wealthy" or "prosperous."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 139 Americans carry the last name Welbig. That puts it at #141,309 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,465,859 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Welbig surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
139
1 in 2,465,859
Census rank
#141,309
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
121
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 121 bearers of the surname Welbig in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 141309th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Welbig, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Welbig
The surname WELBIG has its origins in Germany, dating back to the Middle Ages around the 13th century. It is believed to have originated in the regions of Lower Saxony and Westphalia, where it was derived from the Old German words "wel" meaning "well" and "big" meaning "big" or "large." The combination of these words likely referred to a person living near a large well or a prominent water source.
One of the earliest known references to the name WELBIG can be found in the records of the town of Hildesheim, located in Lower Saxony. In the year 1287, a man named Johannes Welbig was listed as a landowner in the town's tax records. This suggests that the name had already been established and carried some social status at that time.
Throughout the centuries, the name WELBIG underwent various spelling variations, such as Welbick, Welbike, and Welbicke, reflecting regional dialects and scribal variations. One notable example from the 16th century is the mention of a merchant named Hans Welbicke in the records of the Hanseatic League, a powerful medieval trading guild in Northern Europe.
The WELBIG surname has been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. In the 17th century, a German scholar named Johann Welbig (1624-1688) gained recognition for his contributions to the field of linguistics and the study of ancient languages. Another prominent figure was Wilhelm Welbig (1786-1862), a German artist and painter known for his landscape and portrait works.
In the 19th century, a German military officer named Otto Welbig (1821-1887) gained fame for his service in the Prussian Army and his participation in the Austro-Prussian War of 1866. Additionally, the name WELBIG was borne by a German mathematician and astronomer, August Welbig (1835-1912), who made significant contributions to the field of celestial mechanics.
One of the more recent individuals with the WELBIG surname was Karl Welbig (1897-1973), a German architect and urban planner who was influential in the reconstruction efforts following World War II. His work helped shape the modern cityscape of various German cities, including Berlin and Frankfurt.
While the surname WELBIG may not be among the most common in modern times, its rich history and linguistic roots reflect the cultural diversity and historical significance of German surnames. The name's journey through the centuries is a testament to the enduring legacy of families and their connections to specific regions and traditions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Welbig
Among Census respondents with the surname Welbig, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Welbig bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Welbig surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.2% · 114
- Two or more races3.3% · 4
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Welbig
Welbig appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#138,304
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
+17 bearers (+16.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 7,707 places
2020
#141,309
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 3,005 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #146,011 | 104 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #138,304 | 121 | 0.04 | +17 bearers (+16.3%) | Up 7,707 places |
| 2020 | #141,309 | 121 | 0.04 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 3,005 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Welbig surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #138,304 | #141,309 | -2.2% |
| Count | 121 | 121 | 0.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 1.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Welbig bearers went from 121 to 121 (+0.0% change). The surname moved down 3,005 positions in the national ranking, going from #138,304 to #141,309.
FAQ
Welbig surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Welbig?
Name Census estimates that about 139 living Americans carry the surname Welbig. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,465,859 residents.
How common is Welbig?
Welbig ranks #141,309 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 121 people with the surname Welbig. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (139), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Welbig.
Has Welbig become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Welbig went from 121 recorded bearers to 121. That is an increase of 0 (+0.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #138,304 to #141,309.
What does the Census say about the background of Welbig?
Among Census respondents with the surname Welbig, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (2.5%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Welbig in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.2% (114 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Welbig appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.2%), Two or More Races (3.3%), Hispanic (2.5%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Welbig (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Welbig mean?
A German occupational surname meaning "wealthy" or "prosperous." The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Welbig (0.04 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many Americans have the surname Welbig?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.