2000
#17,073
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,533
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.57
Rare Last name
Welles
A topographic surname derived from the Old English word "welle" meaning a wellspring or natural spring.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,729 Americans carry the last name Welles. That puts it at #18,191 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.50 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 198,238 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Welles 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 Welles with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
1.7K
1 in 198,238
Census rank
#18,191
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,508 bearers of the surname Welles in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.50 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 18191st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Welles, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.7%. The next largest groups are Black (7.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Welles
The surname Welles originated in England, first appearing in records dating back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old English words "welle" and "wiell," meaning a well or spring of water. Many places in England were named after wells, such as Welles in Norfolk, and this surname likely originated from a person who lived near or was associated with such a location.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Welles can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of landowners and property holders in England and parts of Wales. This suggests that the name had already been established by the time of the Norman conquest in 1066.
In the 13th century, a notable individual with the surname Welles was Adam de Welles, who was the Lord Chancellor of England from 1265 to 1268 during the reign of King Henry III. Another early bearer of the name was John Welles, who was a member of the English Parliament in 1301 and represented Somerset.
During the Wars of the Roses in the 15th century, a prominent figure named Sir Robert Welles led the Lincolnshire Rebellion against King Edward IV in 1470. Although the rebellion was ultimately crushed, Sir Robert Welles played a significant role in this historical event.
In the 16th century, a renowned playwright named John Welles was born in England around 1530. He is known for his plays "The Old Wives Tale" and "The Pardoneres Tale," which were published in 1595.
Another noteworthy individual with the surname Welles was Gideon Welles, who was born in 1802 in Connecticut, United States. He served as the Secretary of the Navy under President Abraham Lincoln during the American Civil War from 1861 to 1869.
Orson Welles, the acclaimed American actor, director, and writer, was born in 1915 in Wisconsin. He is best known for his groundbreaking film "Citizen Kane" and for his iconic voice work in radio and television.
Throughout history, the surname Welles has also been associated with various place names, such as Welles in Somerset, Welles in Lincolnshire, and Welles in Norfolk, all of which were likely named after natural wells or springs in those areas.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Welles
Among Census respondents with the surname Welles, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.7%. The next largest groups are Black (7.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Welles 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 Welles surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.7% · 1,262
- Black or African American7.2% · 109
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.9% · 44
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 43
- Two or more races2.9% · 43
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Welles
Welles 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
#19,291
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,404
-129 bearers (-8.4%)
Per 100,000 0.48
Rank movement Down 2,218 places
2020
#18,191
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,508
+104 bearers (+7.4%)
Per 100,000 0.50
Rank movement Up 1,100 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #17,073 | 1,533 | 0.57 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #19,291 | 1,404 | 0.48 | -129 bearers (-8.4%) | Down 2,218 places |
| 2020 | #18,191 | 1,508 | 0.50 | +104 bearers (+7.4%) | Up 1,100 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 Welles 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 | #19,291 | #18,191 | 5.7% |
| Count | 1,404 | 1,508 | 7.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.48 | 0.50 | 5.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Welles bearers went from 1,404 to 1,508 (+7.4% change). The surname moved up 1,100 positions in the national ranking, going from #19,291 to #18,191.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Welles
FAQ
Welles surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Welles?
Name Census estimates that about 1,729 living Americans carry the surname Welles. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 198,238 residents.
How common is Welles?
Welles ranks #18,191 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.50 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,508 people with the surname Welles. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,729), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.5 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.50 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Welles.
Has Welles become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Welles went from 1,404 recorded bearers to 1,508. That is an increase of 104 (+7.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #19,291 to #18,191.
What does the Census say about the background of Welles?
Among Census respondents with the surname Welles, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.7%. The next largest groups are Black (7.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.9%). 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 Welles in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.7% (1,262 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Welles appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.7%), Black (7.2%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.9%). 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 Welles (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 Welles mean?
A topographic surname derived from the Old English word "welle" meaning a wellspring or natural spring. 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 Welles (0.50 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 Americans have the surname Welles?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.