Find out how popular the last name Welborn is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Welborn.

Welborn, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Welborn surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Welborn in America

Welborn is the 4956th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Welborn surname appeared 7,095 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Welborn.

We can also compare 2010 data for Welborn to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Welborn

The surname Welborn has its origins in England, with the earliest records dating back to the late 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "wæl," meaning "slaughter" or "carnage," and "burna," meaning "stream" or "brook." This suggests that the name may have referred to a person living near a stream or river where a battle or slaughter had taken place.

The name Welborn is closely related to the place name Welbourn, a village located in Lincolnshire, England. This place name appears in the Domesday Book of 1086 as "Welleburne," which further supports the theory of its Old English origins. It is possible that some of the earliest bearers of the surname Welborn may have come from or lived in this village.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Welborn can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire from 1195, which mention a person named William Welburne. Another early record is from the Curia Regis Rolls of Nottinghamshire in 1221, where a Roger Welburn is mentioned.

In the 13th century, the surname appears in various spellings, such as Welleborne, Welleburne, and Welburne, reflecting the variations in pronunciation and spelling during that time period.

Notable individuals with the surname Welborn throughout history include:

1. John Welborn (c. 1590-1660), an English clergyman and author who served as the Archdeacon of Norfolk from 1633 to 1660.

2. Thomas Welborn (c. 1640-1707), an English Quaker minister and writer who traveled extensively and published several religious works.

3. James Welborn (1778-1847), an American politician and lawyer from Kentucky who served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1827 to 1835.

4. William Welborn (1828-1899), an American Civil War soldier and businessman from Tennessee who later became a prominent figure in the cattle industry in Texas.

5. John Welborn Root (1887-1963), an American architect and author who designed several notable buildings in Chicago, including the Aon Center (formerly the Standard Oil Building).

While the surname Welborn may not be as widespread as some others, its historical roots in England and association with place names and notable individuals spanning several centuries contribute to its distinctive identity and legacy.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Welborn

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Welborn.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Welborn was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Welborn has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Welborn was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Welborn, please contact us.

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