Find out how popular the last name Wellman is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Wellman.
An English toponymic surname referring to someone who lived near a spring, stream, or well.
Wellman, 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 Wellman surname is from the 2010 census data.
Wellman is the 3208th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.
The Wellman surname appeared 11,260 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 4 people would have the surname Wellman.
We can also compare 2010 data for Wellman 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.
2010 | 2000 | Change (%) | |
---|---|---|---|
Rank | 3208 | 3024 | 5.91% |
Count | 11,260 | 10,993 | 2.40% |
Proportion per 100k | 3.82 | 4.08 | -6.58% |
The surname Wellman is of English origin, emerging in the late medieval period. It is derived from the occupational term "wellman," referring to a person responsible for maintaining and operating a well or water supply for a community or estate.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327, which mention a John le Welleman. This suggests that the surname was already in use by the 14th century, likely evolving from the earlier spelling "Welleman."
In the 15th century, the Wellman surname appeared in various records across different regions of England. For example, the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1443 mention a Thomas Welman, while the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1478 record a John Welman.
The Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landholdings in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, does not contain any direct references to the surname Wellman. However, it does mention several places with names containing the root "well," such as Wellebec in Lincolnshire and Wellesberie in Somerset, which may have influenced the development of the surname in those areas.
Notable historical figures bearing the Wellman surname include:
Over time, the Wellman surname has also been associated with various place names, particularly in England. For example, the village of Wellmanor in Hertfordshire and the hamlet of Wellman's Wood in Kent may have derived their names from individuals or families bearing the Wellman surname in those areas.
We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Wellman.
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:
For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Wellman was:
Race/Ethnicity | Percentage | Total Occurrences |
---|---|---|
Non-Hispanic White Only | 92.21% | 10,383 |
Non-Hispanic Black Only | 3.27% | 368 |
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only | 0.40% | 45 |
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.67% | 75 |
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races | 1.43% | 161 |
Hispanic Origin | 2.02% | 227 |
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 Wellman has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.
2010 | 2000 | Change (%) | |
---|---|---|---|
White | 92.21% | 93.53% | -1.42% |
Black | 3.27% | 3.06% | 6.64% |
Asian and Pacific Islander | 0.40% | 0.19% | 71.19% |
American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.67% | 0.77% | -13.89% |
Two or More Races | 1.43% | 1.02% | 33.47% |
Hispanic | 2.02% | 1.43% | 34.20% |
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 Wellman was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.
If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Wellman, please contact us.
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<a href="http://namecensus.com/last-names/wellman-surname-popularity/">Wellman last name popularity, history, and meaning</a>
"Wellman last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on October 9, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/wellman-surname-popularity/.
"Wellman last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/wellman-surname-popularity/. Accessed 9 October, 2024
Wellman last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/wellman-surname-popularity/.
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