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

Welk, 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 Welk surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Welk in America

Welk is the 12812th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Welk surname appeared 2,407 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Welk.

We can also compare 2010 data for Welk 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 Welk

The surname WELK has its origins in England, dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "wealc," which referred to a foreigner or stranger. This term was often used to describe people who had settled in an area from other regions or countries.

The earliest known recorded instance of the surname WELK is found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1197, where a person named Willelmus Walche is mentioned. This spelling variation, "Walche," was a common early form of the name.

During the medieval period, the name WELK was found primarily in the counties of Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, and Berkshire. It is possible that some instances of the name may have been included in the Domesday Book of 1086, although this cannot be confirmed with certainty.

One notable bearer of the WELK surname was William Welk, a merchant and alderman who lived in London in the 14th century. He is recorded as having participated in the Battle of Crécy during the Hundred Years' War in 1346.

Another individual of note was John Welk, a scholar and theologian who lived in the 15th century. He was a fellow of Merton College, Oxford, and authored several works on religious philosophy.

In the 16th century, a family of WELK's resided in the village of Avening, Gloucestershire. Thomas Welk, born in 1542, was a notable member of this family and served as a local magistrate and landowner.

During the 17th century, the name WELK was also found in some areas of Scotland, possibly due to migration from England. One example is Robert Welk, a merchant and burgess of Dundee, who lived from 1628 to 1692.

The 18th century saw the WELK surname spread to other parts of the British Isles, including Ireland and Wales. One notable bearer was William Welk (1732-1805), a Welsh poet and writer who published works in both Welsh and English.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Welk

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

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

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

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