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

Welte, 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 Welte surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Welte in America

Welte is the 21535th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Welte surname appeared 1,212 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 Welte.

We can also compare 2010 data for Welte 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 Welte

The surname WELTE is of German origin and can be traced back to the 14th century. It is believed to have originated from the Old High German word "walt" or "wald," meaning "forest" or "woods." This suggests that the name was likely derived from a place name or a topographical feature related to a forested area.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name WELTE can be found in the records of the city of Nuremberg, dating back to the late 1300s. In these records, the name is spelled as "Welte" or "Welte." It is possible that the name was initially an occupational surname, given to individuals who lived or worked in or near forested areas.

During the Middle Ages, the WELTE surname appears to have been most prevalent in the southern regions of Germany, particularly in the states of Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg. Some notable individuals bearing this surname from this period include Hans Welte (c. 1420-1490), a prominent merchant and guild member in the city of Augsburg.

As the years progressed, the name WELTE spread to other parts of Germany and neighboring countries. In the 16th century, records show the presence of the WELTE family in the Swiss city of Basel. One notable figure from this era was Johann Welte (1538-1612), a respected theologian and professor at the University of Basel.

In the 18th century, the WELTE surname gained further recognition with the birth of Michael Welte (1745-1825), a German inventor and engineer. He is credited with developing several innovative mechanical devices, including the precursor to the modern player piano.

As the industrial revolution took hold in the 19th century, the WELTE family became prominent in the manufacturing industry. Friedrich Welte (1827-1892) founded the Welte Mfg. Co. in Freiburg, which specialized in producing high-quality musical instruments, including pianos and orchestrions.

Another notable figure from this era was the artist and illustrator Emil Welte (1841-1923), whose works are now part of various museum collections throughout Germany and Europe.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Welte

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

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

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

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