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

Welday, 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 Welday surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Welday in America

Welday is the 80131st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Welday surname appeared 237 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Welday.

We can also compare 2010 data for Welday 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 Welday

The surname WELDAY is believed to have originated in England during the late medieval period. The name is derived from the Old English words "well" and "dæg," which combine to form the meaning "good day" or "fortunate day." This suggests that the name may have been used to describe a person born on an auspicious or lucky day.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the WELDAY surname appears in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire, dated 1379, where a John Welday is mentioned as a landowner. The name also appears in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1524, listing a Thomas Welday as a taxpayer.

In the 16th century, the WELDAY surname was found in various regions of England, including Yorkshire, Worcestershire, and Gloucestershire. The spellings varied slightly, with some records showing "Wellday" or "Welldaye," but the pronunciation remained consistent.

One notable figure bearing the WELDAY name was Sir Robert Welday (1574-1638), a member of the English gentry and a landowner in Gloucestershire. He served as a Justice of the Peace and was knighted by King James I in 1617.

Another historical figure of note was Edward Welday (1610-1677), a English clergyman who served as the Dean of Exeter Cathedral from 1663 until his death. He was known for his scholarly works and contributions to theological discourse.

In the 18th century, the WELDAY surname appeared in various parish records and land registers across England. Notable individuals during this period included John Welday (1712-1785), a successful merchant and landowner in Yorkshire, and William Welday (1742-1819), a renowned architect and surveyor responsible for the design of several notable buildings in London.

The 19th century saw the WELDAY name spread further across the British Isles, with records indicating families bearing the surname residing in Scotland, Ireland, and Wales. One prominent figure was Sir James Welday (1824-1892), a Scottish industrialist and philanthropist who made significant contributions to the development of the coal mining industry in his native country.

Throughout its history, the WELDAY surname has been associated with various occupations and social ranks, from landowners and merchants to clergymen and architects. While not a particularly common surname, it has endured for centuries and continues to be found across the English-speaking world, a testament to its rich heritage and legacy.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Welday

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!