Explore the Family Name Welles
The meaning of Welles
English: variant of Wells.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Welles in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname Welles has seen a slight decline from 2000 to 2010. Ranked at 17,073 in 2000, it fell to 19,291 in 2010, marking a decrease of approximately 13%. This was reflected in the count of individuals with the Welles surname, which dropped by roughly 8%, from 1,533 in 2000 to 1,404 in 2010. Consequently, the proportion of people named Welles per 100,000 also decreased by nearly 16% over this decade.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #17,073 | #19,291 | -12.99% |
| Count | 1,533 | 1,404 | -8.41% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.57 | 0.48 | -15.79% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Welles
In terms of ethnicity, the data from the Decennial U.S. Census shows that the largest group of individuals identified as White among those carrying the Welles surname. This remained relatively steady between 2000 and 2010, with a slight decrease of 0.26%. The percentage of those identifying as Black also saw a minor decrease of about 9%. However, there were notable increases in other ethnic identities. Those identifying as Hispanic increased by 38%, while individuals reporting two or more races grew by around 65%. The percentages of those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander and American Indian and Alaskan Native remained stable or declined slightly.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 88.26% | 88.03% | -0.26% |
| Black | 7.7% | 6.98% | -9.35% |
| Hispanic | 1.5% | 2.07% | 38% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 1.5% | 1.5% | 0% |
| Two or More Races | 0.65% | 1.07% | 64.62% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.39% | 0.36% | -7.69% |