2000
#14,995
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,809
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.67
Rare Last name
Weldy
A surname derived from an Old English word meaning "power" or "dominion".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,061 Americans carry the last name Weldy. That puts it at #15,648 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.60 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 166,305 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Weldy 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.
Bearers in the US
2.1K
1 in 166,305
Census rank
#15,648
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,797 bearers of the surname Weldy in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.60 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15648th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Weldy, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Weldy
The surname Weldy is of English origin, with its roots dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to be a variant of the name Welby, derived from a place name referring to a farmstead or village of a person named Wella or Waelle.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Weldy can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Warwickshire in 1332, where it appears as "John de Weldeby." This suggests that the name may have originated in or around the area of Welby, a village in Lincolnshire.
In the 15th century, the name was also documented in the Feet of Fines for Lincolnshire in 1455, where it was written as "Weldebye." This further solidifies the connection between the surname and the village of Welby.
During the medieval period, the name Weldy was primarily concentrated in the counties of Lincolnshire, Warwickshire, and Leicestershire. It is possible that the name was associated with landowners or individuals of some prominence in these regions.
One notable bearer of the name Weldy was Sir Thomas Weldy, a 14th-century English landowner and member of the gentry from Lincolnshire. He was born around 1320 and held various manors and estates in the county.
Another historical figure with the surname Weldy was Richard Weldy, a 16th-century English clergyman and author. He was born in Lincolnshire in 1532 and is known for his work "A Commentary on the Psalms," published in 1603.
In the 17th century, the name Weldy appeared in the Parish Registers of St. Botolph's Church in Lincolnshire, where it was recorded as "Weldey" in 1635. This variation in spelling was common during this period.
One of the most notable individuals with the surname Weldy was Sir William Weldy, an English politician and landowner who lived in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. He was born in 1672 in Lincolnshire and served as a Member of Parliament for Grantham.
Another individual of note was John Weldy, a British naval officer who served during the Napoleonic Wars in the early 19th century. He was born in 1780 in Warwickshire and achieved the rank of Captain in the Royal Navy.
While the surname Weldy is not among the most common in English-speaking countries, it has a rich history dating back several centuries, with its roots firmly planted in the villages and rural areas of central England.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Weldy
Among Census respondents with the surname Weldy, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Weldy 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 Weldy surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.4% · 1,624
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 65
- Two or more races3.3% · 59
- Black or African American2.1% · 37
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 11
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Weldy
Weldy 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
#15,546
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,882
+73 bearers (+4.0%)
Per 100,000 0.64
Rank movement Down 551 places
2020
#15,648
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,797
-85 bearers (-4.5%)
Per 100,000 0.60
Rank movement Down 102 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,995 | 1,809 | 0.67 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,546 | 1,882 | 0.64 | +73 bearers (+4.0%) | Down 551 places |
| 2020 | #15,648 | 1,797 | 0.60 | -85 bearers (-4.5%) | Down 102 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 Weldy 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 | #15,546 | #15,648 | -0.7% |
| Count | 1,882 | 1,797 | -4.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.64 | 0.60 | -6.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Weldy bearers went from 1,882 to 1,797 (-4.5% change). The surname moved down 102 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,546 to #15,648.
FAQ
Weldy surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Weldy?
Name Census estimates that about 2,061 living Americans carry the surname Weldy. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 166,305 residents.
How common is Weldy?
Weldy ranks #15,648 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.60 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,797 people with the surname Weldy. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,061), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.6 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.60 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Weldy.
Has Weldy become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Weldy went from 1,882 recorded bearers to 1,797. That is a decrease of 85 (-4.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #15,546 to #15,648.
What does the Census say about the background of Weldy?
Among Census respondents with the surname Weldy, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (3.3%). 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 Weldy in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.4% (1,624 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Weldy appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.4%), Hispanic (3.6%), Two or More Races (3.3%). 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 Weldy (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 Weldy mean?
A surname derived from an Old English word meaning "power" or "dominion". 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 Weldy (0.60 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 last name Weldy?
Find out how many Americans have the surname Weldy on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.