2000
#139,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Weliver
An English surname derived from a French surname referring to someone from the town of Veliver.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131 Americans carry the last name Weliver. That puts it at #146,495 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,616,445 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Weliver 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
131
1 in 2,616,445
Census rank
#146,495
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
114
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 114 bearers of the surname Weliver in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 146495th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Weliver, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.5%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Weliver
The surname WELIVER is of English origin, with roots that can be traced back to the 16th century. It is believed to have originated from the geographic location of Weliver, a small hamlet in the county of Lancashire, England. The name itself is thought to derive from the Old English words "welle" meaning "well" or "spring," and "ivar," an Old Norse personal name.
The earliest recorded instance of the WELIVER surname appears in the Subsidy Rolls of Lancashire in 1523, where a John Weliver is listed as a landowner. This suggests that the name was already well-established in the region by that time. There are also references to the WELIVER name in the Parish Registers of Eccles, Lancashire, from the late 16th century onwards.
One notable bearer of the WELIVER name was Thomas Weliver (1587-1654), a prominent merchant and alderman in the city of Liverpool during the 17th century. He played a significant role in the city's maritime trade and was instrumental in establishing Liverpool as a major port.
In the 18th century, the WELIVER surname can be found in various records across Lancashire and neighboring counties. One such individual was William WELIVER (1725-1798), a respected farmer and landowner in the village of Hapton, Lancashire.
As the WELIVER family spread across England, variations in spelling emerged, including Welliver, Wellever, and Welvur. One of the earliest instances of the Welliver spelling can be found in the birth records of St. Mary's Church in Eccleston, Lancashire, where a John Welliver was born in 1702.
Another noteworthy figure in the WELIVER lineage was Sir Robert WELIVER (1802-1876), a successful businessman and philanthropist from Manchester. He made his fortune in the textile industry and was knighted for his charitable contributions to various educational and social causes.
The 19th century saw the WELIVER name spread further afield, with families emigrating to North America and other parts of the British Empire. One such individual was James WELIVER (1835-1912), who left Lancashire in the 1860s and settled in Ontario, Canada, where he became a prosperous farmer.
Throughout its history, the WELIVER surname has been borne by individuals from diverse walks of life, including farmers, merchants, industrialists, and professionals. While not a particularly common name, it has left an indelible mark on the regions where its bearers have lived and worked.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Weliver
Among Census respondents with the surname Weliver, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.5%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Weliver 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 Weliver surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.7% · 100
- Hispanic or Latino10.5% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.8% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Weliver
Weliver 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
#142,108
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
+7 bearers (+6.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 2,351 places
2020
#146,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
-3 bearers (-2.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,387 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #139,757 | 110 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #142,108 | 117 | 0.04 | +7 bearers (+6.4%) | Down 2,351 places |
| 2020 | #146,495 | 114 | 0.04 | -3 bearers (-2.6%) | Down 4,387 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 Weliver 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 | #142,108 | #146,495 | -3.1% |
| Count | 117 | 114 | -2.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Weliver bearers went from 117 to 114 (-2.6% change). The surname moved down 4,387 positions in the national ranking, going from #142,108 to #146,495.
FAQ
Weliver surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Weliver?
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the surname Weliver. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,616,445 residents.
How common is Weliver?
Weliver ranks #146,495 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 114 people with the surname Weliver. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (131), 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 Weliver.
Has Weliver become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Weliver went from 117 recorded bearers to 114. That is a decrease of 3 (-2.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #142,108 to #146,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Weliver?
Among Census respondents with the surname Weliver, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.5%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.8%). 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 Weliver in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.7% (100 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Weliver appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.7%), Hispanic (10.5%), American Indian/Alaska Native (1.8%). 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 Weliver (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 Weliver mean?
An English surname derived from a French surname referring to someone from the town of Veliver. 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 Weliver (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 share the surname Weliver?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.