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

Welling, 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 Welling surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Welling in America

Welling is the 7947th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Welling surname appeared 4,164 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 Welling.

We can also compare 2010 data for Welling 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 Welling

The surname Welling originated in England during the medieval period, deriving from the Old English word "welling," which referred to a natural spring or well. This name likely emerged as a descriptive term for individuals who lived near a prominent well or spring, a common practice in the early development of surnames.

The earliest known record of the surname Welling can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Wellinges." This entry suggests that the name was already in use by the late 11th century, though its precise origins may date back even further.

During the Middle Ages, the surname Welling was primarily concentrated in the counties of Hertfordshire and Essex, where many places incorporated the word "well" or "welling" in their names. For instance, the village of Welling in Kent, which was once known as "Wellingis," was likely named after individuals bearing this surname.

One of the earliest known bearers of the Welling surname was John Welling, a landowner from Essex who lived in the late 13th century. Another notable figure was Sir Thomas Welling, a prominent merchant and alderman in the City of London during the 15th century (birth and death years unknown).

In the 16th century, the Welling family of Swanscombe, Kent, gained recognition. This branch included Nicholas Welling (c. 1520-1588), a successful cloth merchant, and his son, Sir Thomas Welling (c. 1550-1624), who served as High Sheriff of Kent.

During the English Civil War, Captain John Welling (1605-1681) fought for the Parliamentarian forces and later became a member of Oliver Cromwell's Protectorate Parliament. His grandson, Sir John Welling (1661-1739), was a prominent lawyer and Member of Parliament.

Another notable figure was Sir Edmund Welling (1675-1753), a wealthy landowner and Member of Parliament for the borough of Grantham. His descendants continued to be influential in Lincolnshire for several generations.

Throughout its history, the surname Welling has maintained strong ties to England, particularly in the southeastern counties. While the name has spread to other parts of the world through emigration, its roots remain firmly grounded in the medieval English landscape and the Old English word from which it originated.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Welling

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

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

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

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