Explore the Family Name Wellington

The meaning of Wellington

English: habitational name from any of the three places called Wellington, in Herefordshire, Shropshire, and Somerset, or from Wellington Heath (Herefordshire). All are most probably named with an unattested Old English personal name Wēola + -ing- (implying association with) + tūn ‘farmstead, estate’. History: Roger Wellington came to Massachusetts Bay Colony from England in 1636.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Wellington in the United States?

The surname Wellington exhibits a steady popularity in the U.S. based on the Decennial U.S. Census data. In 2000, it ranked at 5146 and slightly increased to 5156 in 2010, marking a minimal change of -0.19%. The count of individuals with this surname rose from 6257 in 2000 to 6784 in 2010, indicating an increase of 8.42%. The proportion of people per 100,000 with the name Wellington was relatively constant, decreasing by a marginal -0.86% from 2.32 in 2000 to 2.3 in 2010.

20002010Change
Rank#5,146#5,156-0.19%
Count6,2576,7848.42%
Proportion per 100k2.322.3-0.86%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Wellington

Evaluating the ethnic identity associated with the surname Wellington, there's a distinct trend evident in the Decennial U.S. Census data. In the decade from 2000 to 2010, there was a notable increase in individuals identifying as Black, rising 8.32% from 34.39% to 37.25%. The percentage of those who identify as Hispanic also saw a significant surge of 49.19%, jumping from 2.48% to 3.70%. Notably, individuals identifying as White decreased by -6.99% during the same period. Those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander and American Indian and Alaskan Native experienced minor declines of -4.95% and -4.80%, respectively. Lastly, the proportion of people identifying as two or more races increased slightly by 4.33%.

20002010Change
White58.33%54.25%-6.99%
Black34.39%37.25%8.32%
Hispanic2.48%3.7%49.19%
Two or More Races2.54%2.65%4.33%
American Indian and Alaskan Native1.25%1.19%-4.8%
Asian/Pacific Islander1.01%0.96%-4.95%

Wellington ancestry composition

23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Wellington is British & Irish, which comprises 37.4% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (22.7%) and Nigerian (6.6%). Additional ancestries include Scandinavian, Ashkenazi Jewish, Eastern European, Ghanaian, Liberian & Sierra Leonean, and Italian.

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ANCESTRY BREAKDOWNCOMPOSITION
British & Irish37.4%
French & German22.7%
Nigerian6.6%
Other33.2%
Wellington

Possible origins of the surname Wellington

Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.

Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Wellington have recent ancestry locations all within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

RECENT ANCESTRY LocationPercentage
Greater London, United Kingdom70.20%
Glasgow City, United Kingdom69.60%
Merseyside, United Kingdom69.00%
Greater Manchester, United Kingdom69.00%
West Yorkshire, United Kingdom68.40%

What Wellington haplogroups can tell you

Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.

The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Wellington is E-V13, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup E-V13 is descended from haplogroup E-M96. Other common haplogroups include R-CTS241 and R-P312, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Lafrance, Deloach, Cornelius, Grove, Roderick, Goode, Aubrey, Hubbard, Spencer, Satterfield.

The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Wellington surname are: H1, U2_3_4_7_8_9, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.

wellingtonPaternal Haplogroup Origins E-M96
Paternal Haplo Image

Your paternal lineage may be linked to early Balkan migrants

Haplogroup E1b1b1a1b1a migrated in large numbers from the Balkans into Europe about 4,500 years ago, triggered by the beginning of the Balkan Bronze Age. During this migration, members of haplogroup E1b1b1a1b1a mainly followed rivers connecting the southern Balkans to northern-central Europe. Technological leaps often cause lineages to grow dramatically in numbers and in geographic range. The development of Bronze technology may have given men in haplogroup E1b1b1a1b1a a competitive advantage over other men, causing haplogroup E1b1b1a1b1a to proliferate and become widespread.

Your maternal lineage may be linked to Marie Antoinette

Because it is so dominant in the general European population, haplogroup H also appears quite frequently in the continent's royal houses. Marie Antoinette, an Austrian Hapsburg who married into the French royal family, inherited the haplogroup from her maternal ancestors. So did Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, whose recorded genealogy traces his female line to Bavaria. Scientists also discovered that famed 16th century astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus traced his maternal lineages to haplogroup H.

Maternal Haplo Image

What do people with the surname Wellington have in common?

Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.

Preferences

Wellington

Chocolate Ice Cream

Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.

"Wellington" Surname 38.5%

23andMe Users 41.3%

Traits

Wellington

Misophonia

When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.

"Wellington" Surname 31.8%

23andMe Users 27.9%

Habits

Wellington

Sugary Drink

Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.

"Wellington" Surname 22.8%

23andMe Users 21.1%

Wellness

Wellington

Migraine

A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.

"Wellington" Surname 18.0%

23andMe Users 16.4%

Are health conditions linked to the last name Wellington?

The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.

Disease variant frequency by ancestry

Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Wellington are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition

Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Y402H variant

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the most common cause of irreversible vision loss among older adults. The disease results in damage to the central part of the retina (the macula), impairing vision needed for reading, driving, or even recognizing faces. The 23andMe Health + Ancestry DNA test includes the two most common variants associated with an increased risk of developing the condition: the Y402H variant in the CFH gene and the A69S variant in the ARMS2 gene. Learn more about Age-Related Macular Degeneration

British & Irish 62.1%

23andMe Users 57.2%