2000
#2,367
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,025
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.20
Uncommon Last name
Weldon
Derived from a place name meaning "hill near a spring or stream," from Old English elements "well" and "dun."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 15,426 Americans carry the last name Weldon. That puts it at #2,620 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.50 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 22,219 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Weldon 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Weldon with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
15K
1 in 22,219
Census rank
#2,620
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
13K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 13,452 bearers of the surname Weldon in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.50 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2620th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Weldon, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.6%. The next largest groups are Black (13.2%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Weldon
The surname Weldon has its origins in England, and it is believed to have emerged during the medieval period, around the 12th or 13th century. The name is derived from a placename, referring to individuals who hailed from the town of Weldon in Northamptonshire.
The name Weldon is thought to be derived from the Old English words "well" and "dun," which together mean "hill by the spring" or "hill by the stream." This suggests that the town of Weldon was initially established near a natural water source, such as a spring or a stream, situated on a hill.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the surname Weldon can be found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which were administrative records compiled during the reign of King Edward I. In these rolls, the name is spelled as "Welleden," reflecting the variation in spelling that was common during that era.
In the 14th century, a notable figure bearing the surname Weldon was John Weldon, who served as a Member of Parliament for Northamptonshire in 1388. Another early bearer of the name was William Weldon, a 15th-century English clergyman who held the position of Archdeacon of Northampton from 1451 to 1471.
During the 16th century, the Weldon family gained prominence in Northamptonshire, with Sir Raphael Weldon (1561-1636) being a notable member. He served as a Member of Parliament and was knighted by King James I in 1616.
In the 17th century, Sir Anthony Weldon (1583-1648) was a prominent figure who gained recognition for his writing. He authored a significant work titled "The Court and Character of King James," which provided insights into the life and reign of King James I.
Another individual of note with the surname Weldon was Walter Weldon (1832-1885), a 19th-century English mathematician and writer. He made significant contributions to the field of mathematics and authored several influential works, including "The Theory of Chances" and "The Doctrine of Chances."
Throughout history, the surname Weldon has been associated with various places and localities, such as Weldon in Northamptonshire, Weldon in Worcestershire, and Weldon in Buckinghamshire. These place names likely derived from the same Old English roots as the surname itself, reflecting the close connection between surnames and geographical locations during the medieval period.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Weldon
Among Census respondents with the surname Weldon, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.6%. The next largest groups are Black (13.2%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Weldon 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 Weldon surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White77.6% · 10,437
- Black or African American13.2% · 1,776
- Two or more races4.1% · 555
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 504
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 105
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 75
Timeline
Historical Census data for Weldon
Weldon 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
#2,481
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,538
+513 bearers (+3.7%)
Per 100,000 4.93
Rank movement Down 114 places
2020
#2,620
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,452
-1,086 bearers (-7.5%)
Per 100,000 4.50
Rank movement Down 139 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,367 | 14,025 | 5.20 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,481 | 14,538 | 4.93 | +513 bearers (+3.7%) | Down 114 places |
| 2020 | #2,620 | 13,452 | 4.50 | -1,086 bearers (-7.5%) | Down 139 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 Weldon 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 | #2,481 | #2,620 | -5.6% |
| Count | 14,538 | 13,452 | -7.5% |
| Per 100K | 4.93 | 4.50 | -8.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Weldon bearers went from 14,538 to 13,452 (-7.5% change). The surname moved down 139 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,481 to #2,620.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Weldon
FAQ
Weldon surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Weldon?
Name Census estimates that about 15,426 living Americans carry the surname Weldon. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 22,219 residents.
How common is Weldon?
Weldon ranks #2,620 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.50 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 13,452 people with the surname Weldon. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (15,426), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.5 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.50 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Weldon.
Has Weldon become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Weldon went from 14,538 recorded bearers to 13,452. That is a decrease of 1,086 (-7.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,481 to #2,620.
What does the Census say about the background of Weldon?
Among Census respondents with the surname Weldon, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.6%. The next largest groups are Black (13.2%) and Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Weldon in the 2020 Census, accounting for 77.6% (10,437 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Weldon appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (77.6%), Black (13.2%), Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Weldon (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 Weldon mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "hill near a spring or stream," from Old English elements "well" and "dun." 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 Weldon (4.50 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 people are called Weldon?
Want to know how many people have the surname Weldon? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.