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

Welle, 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 Welle surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Welle in America

Welle is the 20099th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Welle surname appeared 1,329 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Welle.

We can also compare 2010 data for Welle 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 Welle

The surname Welle originated in England, with records dating back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old English word "welle," meaning a spring or stream of water. The name was likely given to someone who lived near a well or stream.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which mentions a landowner named Welle in Lincolnshire. This suggests that the name was already in use by the late 11th century.

In the 13th century, records show a Ralph de la Welle in Oxfordshire, indicating that the name was also sometimes used with the French preposition "de la" meaning "of the." This was a common practice during the Norman period, when many English surnames were influenced by French language and customs.

In the 14th century, a variant spelling "Welle" appears in the records of the Hundred Rolls, a census-like survey conducted in England between 1274 and 1279. This suggests that the name had become more standardized in its spelling by that time.

One notable bearer of the name was Sir Thomas Welle, a Member of Parliament for Grantham in the early 15th century (born around 1390, died in 1459). He was also a notable soldier and served as the Sheriff of Lincolnshire.

Another historical figure with this surname was John Welle, a 15th-century English composer and organist (born around 1420, died in 1498). He was associated with the Chapel Royal and is known for his contributions to early English church music.

In the 16th century, the variant spelling "Well" emerged, likely influenced by the pronunciation of the name. This spelling can be found in records from that time, such as the will of a John Well from Dorset, dated 1558.

A notable bearer of the name in the 17th century was William Welle (1609-1677), a prominent English clergyman and theologian who served as the Rector of Tenterden in Kent.

In the 18th century, the name appears to have spread more widely across England, with records showing bearers in various counties, including Yorkshire, Lancashire, and Gloucestershire.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Welle

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

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

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

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