Find out how popular the last name Welch is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Welch.
Derived from the Old English word meaning "foreigner," referring to someone of Celtic origin, particularly from Wales.
Welch, 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 Welch surname is from the 2010 census data.
Welch is the 284th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.
The Welch surname appeared 108,987 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 37 people would have the surname Welch.
We can also compare 2010 data for Welch 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.
2010 | 2000 | Change (%) | |
---|---|---|---|
Rank | 284 | 259 | 9.21% |
Count | 108,987 | 105,804 | 2.96% |
Proportion per 100k | 36.95 | 39.22 | -5.96% |
The surname Welch is of Anglo-Saxon origin, deriving from the Old English word "Wilisc" or "Wielisc," which referred to someone of Welsh or Celtic descent or a person from Wales. It is believed to have emerged in England during the early medieval period.
In the Domesday Book, a survey of England conducted in 1086, the name is recorded as "Waleis," a variant spelling of the surname. This suggests that individuals with this name were present in England at the time of the Norman Conquest in 1066.
One of the earliest known bearers of the surname was Roger le Waleys, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1196. Another notable figure from history was Sir Robert le Waleys, a Welsh military leader who played a significant role in the Welsh Wars of Independence against the English in the late 13th century.
The surname has also been associated with various place names in England and Wales, such as Welshpool in Powys, Wales, and Welsh Bicknor in Herefordshire, England. These place names likely influenced the spelling variations of the surname over time.
Among the notable individuals with the surname Welch throughout history are:
The surname Welch has a rich history dating back to the early medieval period in England and Wales, reflecting the interactions between Anglo-Saxon and Celtic populations. Its variations and associations with place names provide insights into the geographical distribution and evolution of the name over centuries.
We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Welch.
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:
For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Welch was:
Race/Ethnicity | Percentage | Total Occurrences |
---|---|---|
Non-Hispanic White Only | 83.47% | 90,971 |
Non-Hispanic Black Only | 10.44% | 11,378 |
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only | 0.54% | 589 |
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native | 1.11% | 1,210 |
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races | 1.90% | 2,071 |
Hispanic Origin | 2.55% | 2,779 |
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 Welch has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.
2010 | 2000 | Change (%) | |
---|---|---|---|
White | 83.47% | 85.60% | -2.52% |
Black | 10.44% | 9.83% | 6.02% |
Asian and Pacific Islander | 0.54% | 0.45% | 18.18% |
American Indian and Alaskan Native | 1.11% | 1.04% | 6.51% |
Two or More Races | 1.90% | 1.45% | 26.87% |
Hispanic | 2.55% | 1.63% | 44.02% |
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 Welch was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.
If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Welch, please contact us.
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<a href="http://namecensus.com/last-names/welch-surname-popularity/">Welch last name popularity, history, and meaning</a>
"Welch last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on December 14, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/welch-surname-popularity/.
"Welch last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/welch-surname-popularity/. Accessed 14 December, 2024
Welch last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/welch-surname-popularity/.
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