2000
#19,208
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,307
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.48
Rare Last name
Weld
An English habitational surname denoting someone from a place called Weld or Weald.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,483 Americans carry the last name Weld. That puts it at #20,719 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.43 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 231,122 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Weld 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Weld with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
1.5K
1 in 231,122
Census rank
#20,719
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,293 bearers of the surname Weld in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.43 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 20719th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Weld, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.8%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Weld
The surname WELD is of Anglo-Saxon origin and derives from the Old English word "weld" meaning "to govern" or "to rule". It is believed to have originated in the northern counties of England, particularly in Yorkshire and Lancashire, during the early medieval period.
One of the earliest recorded references to the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Welda" in the county of Yorkshire. This entry suggests that the name was already well-established in the region by the time of the Norman Conquest.
During the 13th and 14th centuries, the name was also found in various forms, such as "Welde", "Weld", and "Wealde", in various parts of England, indicating its gradual spread across the country.
The Weld family has a long and distinguished history, with several notable members contributing to various fields over the centuries. One of the earliest known members was Sir Humphrey Weld (c.1490-1537), a prominent lawyer and landowner who served as a Member of Parliament during the reign of Henry VIII.
Another notable figure was Thomas Weld (1750-1810), a wealthy English Catholic landowner and philanthropist who played a significant role in establishing the first Catholic seminary in England after the Reformation.
In the 19th century, Isaac Weld (1774-1856) was a notable Irish-born explorer and author who travelled extensively in North America and wrote several books about his experiences, including "Travels Through the States of North America and the Provinces of Upper and Lower Canada, During the Years 1795, 1796, and 1797".
The name Weld has also been associated with several place names in England, such as Weld Bank in Yorkshire and Weld Estate in Dorset.
During the 18th and 19th centuries, the Weld family gained prominence in the United States, with several members serving in various political and military capacities. One notable figure was Lewis Weld (1786-1853), who served as a brigadier general in the Massachusetts militia during the War of 1812.
Throughout its long history, the surname WELD has been carried by many accomplished individuals across various fields, reflecting its deep roots and rich heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Weld
Among Census respondents with the surname Weld, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.8%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Weld 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 Weld surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.1% · 1,152
- Hispanic or Latino4.8% · 62
- Two or more races3.9% · 50
- Black or African American1.3% · 17
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Weld
Weld 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
#21,459
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,218
-89 bearers (-6.8%)
Per 100,000 0.41
Rank movement Down 2,251 places
2020
#20,719
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,293
+75 bearers (+6.2%)
Per 100,000 0.43
Rank movement Up 740 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #19,208 | 1,307 | 0.48 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #21,459 | 1,218 | 0.41 | -89 bearers (-6.8%) | Down 2,251 places |
| 2020 | #20,719 | 1,293 | 0.43 | +75 bearers (+6.2%) | Up 740 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 Weld 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 | #21,459 | #20,719 | 3.4% |
| Count | 1,218 | 1,293 | 6.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.41 | 0.43 | 5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Weld bearers went from 1,218 to 1,293 (+6.2% change). The surname moved up 740 positions in the national ranking, going from #21,459 to #20,719.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Weld
FAQ
Weld surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Weld?
Name Census estimates that about 1,483 living Americans carry the surname Weld. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 231,122 residents.
How common is Weld?
Weld ranks #20,719 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.43 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 1,293 people with the surname Weld. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,483), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.43 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.43 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 Weld.
Has Weld become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Weld went from 1,218 recorded bearers to 1,293. That is an increase of 75 (+6.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #21,459 to #20,719.
What does the Census say about the background of Weld?
Among Census respondents with the surname Weld, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.8%) and Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Weld in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.1% (1,152 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Weld appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.1%), Hispanic (4.8%), Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Weld (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 Weld mean?
An English habitational surname denoting someone from a place called Weld or Weald. 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 Weld (0.43 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 people have the surname Weld?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.