2010
#151,532
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Welinski
A surname of Polish origin, likely locative, referring to someone from a place like Wielińsk or Wielin.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 120 Americans carry the last name Welinski. That puts it at #152,989 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,856,286 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Welinski 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
120
1 in 2,856,286
Census rank
#152,989
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
105
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 105 bearers of the surname Welinski in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152989th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Welinski, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
Origin
Meaning and origin of Welinski
The surname Welinski is of Polish origin, with its roots tracing back to the late 15th century. The name is believed to have originated from the region of Greater Poland, particularly in the areas surrounding the city of Poznan. It is derived from the Polish word "wielun," which means "large town" or "city," suggesting that the earliest bearers of this name likely hailed from a prominent urban settlement.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Welinski surname can be found in the archives of the Archdiocese of Gniezno, where a certain Jan Welinski was mentioned as a landowning nobleman in the year 1492. This historical document provides valuable insight into the social status and geographic distribution of the name during the Renaissance period.
In the 16th century, the Welinski family gained prominence in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, with several members holding influential positions in the local administration and military. One notable figure was Stanislaw Welinski (1525-1589), who served as a captain in the Polish cavalry and participated in numerous campaigns against the Teutonic Knights and the Crimean Khanate.
As the Welinski surname spread across Poland, it also underwent various spelling variations, such as Welinsky, Wielinski, and Vielinski. These variations often reflected regional dialects and scribal practices of the time. In the 17th century, the name appeared in the records of the city of Krakow, where a merchant named Jakub Wielinski was recorded as a member of the local guild.
During the 18th century, the Welinski family continued to play an active role in Polish society. One notable individual was Tomasz Welinski (1720-1798), a renowned scholar and writer who authored several treatises on philosophy and literature. His works were widely read and influential among the intellectual circles of the Polish Enlightenment.
As the centuries progressed, the Welinski surname also found its way beyond the borders of Poland. In the early 19th century, a branch of the family migrated to the Russian Empire, where they settled in the regions of modern-day Ukraine and Belarus. One prominent figure from this period was Aleksander Welinski (1810-1876), a Russian military officer who distinguished himself during the Crimean War.
Throughout its long history, the Welinski surname has been associated with various professions and accomplishments, from landowners and military leaders to scholars and merchants. While the name may have evolved in spelling and geographic distribution, its Polish roots and connection to the historic urban centers of Greater Poland remain an integral part of its identity.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Welinski
Among Census respondents with the surname Welinski, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
The bar chart below shows how Welinski 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 Welinski surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White100.0% · 105
Timeline
Historical Census data for Welinski
Welinski appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#152,989
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
-3 bearers (-2.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 1,457 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #151,532 | 108 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #152,989 | 105 | 0.04 | -3 bearers (-2.8%) | Down 1,457 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 Welinski 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 | #151,532 | #152,989 | -1.0% |
| Count | 108 | 105 | -2.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -12.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Welinski bearers went from 108 to 105 (-2.8% change). The surname moved down 1,457 positions in the national ranking, going from #151,532 to #152,989.
FAQ
Welinski surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Welinski?
Name Census estimates that about 120 living Americans carry the surname Welinski. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,856,286 residents.
How common is Welinski?
Welinski ranks #152,989 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 105 people with the surname Welinski. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (120), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Welinski.
Has Welinski become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Welinski went from 108 recorded bearers to 105. That is a decrease of 3 (-2.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #151,532 to #152,989.
What does the Census say about the background of Welinski?
Among Census respondents with the surname Welinski, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%. 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 Welinski in the 2020 Census, accounting for 100.0% (105 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Welinski appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (100.0%). 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 Welinski (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 Welinski mean?
A surname of Polish origin, likely locative, referring to someone from a place like Wielińsk or Wielin. 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 Welinski (0.04 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 Welinski?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.