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

Wellborn, 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 Wellborn surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Wellborn in America

Wellborn is the 15151st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Wellborn surname appeared 1,946 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 Wellborn.

We can also compare 2010 data for Wellborn 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 Wellborn

The surname Wellborn is of English origin, derived from a combination of the Old English words "wel" meaning well or spring, and "burna" meaning stream or brook. It likely originated as a locational name, referring to someone who lived near a well-fed stream or brook.

The name Wellborn can be traced back to the 13th century in various historical records and documents from England. One of the earliest recorded instances is in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire from 1275, which mention a Robert de Welleburn.

In the Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive survey of landholdings in England commissioned by William the Conqueror, there are several entries that may be related to the name Wellborn. These include references to places like Wellesburn in Warwickshire and Weleburn in Lincolnshire.

During the Middle Ages, the name Wellborn was often spelled in various ways, such as Welleborn, Welburn, and Wellebourne, reflecting regional dialects and variations in spelling conventions at the time.

One notable bearer of the Wellborn surname was Sir Richard Wellborn (1590-1670), an English politician and Member of Parliament during the reign of Charles I. He played a significant role in the English Civil War and supported the Parliamentarian cause.

Another prominent individual with this surname was John Wellborn (1658-1726), an English clergyman and academic who served as the Master of University College, Oxford, and later became the Bishop of Bristol.

In the United States, one of the earliest recorded bearers of the Wellborn name was Thomas Wellborn (1724-1806), a Revolutionary War soldier and early settler in Georgia. He played a role in the Battle of Kettle Creek during the American Revolutionary War.

Captain Isaac Wellborn (1760-1844) was another notable figure with this surname. He served in the American Revolutionary War and later became a prominent landowner and farmer in Tennessee.

William Wellborn (1807-1888), a prominent lawyer and politician from Georgia, served as a judge on the Supreme Court of Georgia and was involved in several important legal cases related to slavery and civil rights in the mid-19th century.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Wellborn

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

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

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

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