2000
#29,696
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 748
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.28
Very Rare Last name
Welz
A German surname originating as a nickname for a person with a wavy or curly head of hair.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 900 Americans carry the last name Welz. That puts it at #31,582 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.26 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 380,838 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Welz surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
900
1 in 380,838
Census rank
#31,582
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
785
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 785 bearers of the surname Welz in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.26 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 31582nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Welz, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.4%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Welz
The surname "WELZ" is of German origin, and its roots can be traced back to the Middle Ages. The name is believed to have originated in the region of Bavaria, where it was likely derived from the Old German word "walz," which meant "to roll" or "to wander."
During the medieval period, surnames were often derived from occupations, physical characteristics, or places of origin. In the case of "WELZ," it is possible that the name was given to someone who worked as a miller, a profession that involved rolling grains, or to someone who was a wanderer or traveler.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname "WELZ" can be found in the Bavarian town records from the 14th century. These records mention individuals with variations of the name, such as "Waltz" and "Walzer," which further supports the theory of its derivation from the Old German word "walz."
While there are no known references to the name in major historical manuscripts like the Domesday Book, which primarily covered England, the surname "WELZ" has been associated with several notable individuals throughout history.
One such individual was Johann Georg Welz (1718-1789), a German composer and organist who lived and worked in Bavaria during the 18th century. He is known for his contributions to church music and for his compositions for organ and harpsichord.
Another notable bearer of the surname was Franz Welz (1808-1872), an Austrian painter and lithographer who was renowned for his landscapes and architectural depictions. His works can be found in various museums and galleries across Europe.
In the 20th century, Erich Welz (1900-1983) was a German politician and member of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU). He served as a member of the Bundestag, the German federal parliament, from 1949 to 1969.
Additionally, Claudia Welz (born 1971) is a contemporary German writer and poet who has published several acclaimed works, including novels and poetry collections.
Finally, one cannot overlook the contribution of Hans Welz (1906-1991), a German engineer and inventor who played a significant role in the development of the modern-day automobile industry. He held numerous patents and is credited with innovations in the field of automotive safety and suspension systems.
While the surname "WELZ" may not be among the most common in the world, its rich history and association with notable individuals across various fields make it a fascinating name to explore and understand its origins and evolution over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Welz
Among Census respondents with the surname Welz, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.4%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Welz bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Welz surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.2% · 716
- Hispanic or Latino5.4% · 42
- Two or more races1.8% · 14
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 9
- Black or African American0.5% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Welz
Welz appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#33,036
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 693
-55 bearers (-7.4%)
Per 100,000 0.23
Rank movement Down 3,340 places
2020
#31,582
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 785
+92 bearers (+13.3%)
Per 100,000 0.26
Rank movement Up 1,454 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #29,696 | 748 | 0.28 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #33,036 | 693 | 0.23 | -55 bearers (-7.4%) | Down 3,340 places |
| 2020 | #31,582 | 785 | 0.26 | +92 bearers (+13.3%) | Up 1,454 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Welz surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #33,036 | #31,582 | 4.4% |
| Count | 693 | 785 | 13.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.23 | 0.26 | 14.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Welz bearers went from 693 to 785 (+13.3% change). The surname moved up 1,454 positions in the national ranking, going from #33,036 to #31,582.
FAQ
Welz surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Welz?
Name Census estimates that about 900 living Americans carry the surname Welz. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 380,838 residents.
How common is Welz?
Welz ranks #31,582 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.26 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 785 people with the surname Welz. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (900), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.26 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.26 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Welz.
Has Welz become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Welz went from 693 recorded bearers to 785. That is an increase of 92 (+13.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #33,036 to #31,582.
What does the Census say about the background of Welz?
Among Census respondents with the surname Welz, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.4%) and Two or More Races (1.8%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Welz in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.2% (716 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Welz appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.2%), Hispanic (5.4%), Two or More Races (1.8%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Welz (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Welz mean?
A German surname originating as a nickname for a person with a wavy or curly head of hair. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Welz (0.26 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many Americans have the surname Welz?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.