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

Welsch, 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 Welsch surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Welsch in America

Welsch is the 11104th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Welsch surname appeared 2,857 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 Welsch.

We can also compare 2010 data for Welsch 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 Welsch

The surname WELSCH is of German origin and dates back to the 12th century. It is derived from the old German word "Walh," which referred to a person of Italic or Romanic descent, particularly those from France, Italy, or other regions south of the Germanic areas. The name was likely given as a descriptive nickname to distinguish individuals with these southern European roots.

In its earliest recorded forms, the name appeared as "Walche," "Walch," or "Welche" in various medieval documents and records. One of the earliest references can be found in the Codex Traditionum Corbeiensium, a 12th-century cartulary from the Benedictine abbey of Corvey in present-day North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.

The name is also believed to have ties to certain place names, such as Welschbillig, a municipality in the Trier-Saarburg district of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. The name "Welschbillig" is derived from the old German words "walh" (foreigner) and "billig" (settlement or village), suggesting a settlement of people of Romance or Celtic descent.

Among the earliest recorded individuals with the surname WELSCH was Johannes Welsch, a German theologian and writer who lived from around 1450 to 1522. Another notable figure was Christoph Welsch, a German astronomer and mathematician born in 1619 and known for his contributions to the study of comets.

In the 16th century, the WELSCH surname appeared in the records of the Electorate of Saxony, where a family of that name held noble status. One prominent member was Hans Christoph von Welsch, a Saxon nobleman and military commander who lived from 1595 to 1659.

The name also gained recognition in the artistic and literary circles of the 17th and 18th centuries. Marcus Welsch, a German painter and engraver born in 1666, was known for his portraits and biblical scenes. Johann Christoph Welsch, born in 1738, was a German philologist and author who wrote extensively on the history and culture of ancient Greece and Rome.

As the name spread across Europe, it took on various spellings and regional variations, such as Welsche, Welshi, and Welscher. However, the core meaning and origin remained rooted in the old German word "Walh," reflecting the diverse cultural influences that have shaped the history of this surname.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Welsch

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

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

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

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