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

Welcome, 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 Welcome surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Welcome in America

Welcome is the 13855th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Welcome surname appeared 2,181 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Welcome.

We can also compare 2010 data for Welcome 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 Welcome

The surname Welcome is an English locational name that originated in the medieval period. It derived from the Old English word 'wilcuma', which meant 'a welcome guest' or 'a newcomer'. The name likely referred to someone who had recently arrived in a particular area or settlement.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname Welcome can be found in various medieval records and charters from the 13th and 14th centuries. In the Hundred Rolls of Bedfordshire from 1273, there is a reference to a John le Wilcume. Similarly, the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex from 1296 mention a William Welcom.

The surname Welcome is also linked to various place names throughout England, such as Welcombe in Devon, Welcombe in Warwickshire, and Welcombe in Dorset. These place names likely originated from the Old English words 'wil' (a stream) and 'cumb' (a valley), suggesting that the name may have referred to someone living in a valley near a stream.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Welcome was Thomas Welcome, who was born in Hertfordshire, England, around 1550. He served as a member of the Company of Merchant Adventurers and was involved in the wool trade.

Another notable figure was Sir John Welcome, who lived in the 17th century and was a prominent lawyer and landowner in Gloucestershire. He served as a Member of Parliament and played a significant role in local politics during the English Civil War.

In the 18th century, there was a family of Welcome's who were prominent clockmakers and watchmakers in London. The most famous among them was Thomas Welcome, who was born in 1711 and became a master clockmaker. His clocks and watches were highly sought after by the wealthy and aristocratic classes of the time.

During the 19th century, a notable figure with the surname Welcome was William Welcome, a British architect who designed several notable buildings in London, including the Royal Naval College in Greenwich and the Church of St. Michael in Cornhill.

The surname Welcome has also been found in various other parts of the world, particularly in countries with strong British colonial ties, such as the United States, Canada, and Australia. However, its origins can be traced back to the medieval period in England, where it first emerged as a locational name.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Welcome

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

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 Welcome 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 Welcome 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 Welcome was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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