Explore the Family Name Welter

The meaning of Welter

1. German: from a pet form of the personal name Walther (see Walter). 2. North German: habitational name for someone from any of the places called Welt or Welte in northern Germany.

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

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

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname Welter has slightly decreased in the past decade, with a 4.69% drop in rank from 6763 in 2000 to 7080 in 2010. Despite this decrease in rank, the total count of people with the Welter surname increased by 2.96%, from 4593 in 2000 to 4729 in 2010. The proportion per 100,000 also saw a slight decrease, dropping from 1.7 in 2000 to 1.6 in 2010, a decline of 5.88%.

20002010Change
Rank#6,763#7,080-4.69%
Count4,5934,7292.96%
Proportion per 100k1.71.6-5.88%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Welter

When it comes to ethnic identity, the Decennial U.S. Census data reflects that the majority of individuals with the Welter surname identify as White, accounting for 96.07% in 2010, a small decrease from 96.97% in 2000. The Hispanic community showed the greatest growth rate, rising from 0.91% in 2000 to 1.67% in 2010, an increase of 83.52%. Other noticeable changes include a 25% increase in those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander and a 23.47% increase in those identifying as two or more races. Those identifying as Black also increased from 0.26% in 2000 to 0.32% in 2010. However, those identifying as American Indian and Alaskan Native decreased by 56.82%.

20002010Change
White96.97%96.07%-0.93%
Hispanic0.91%1.67%83.52%
Two or More Races0.98%1.21%23.47%
Asian/Pacific Islander0.44%0.55%25%
Black0.26%0.32%23.08%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0.44%0.19%-56.82%

Welter 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 Welter is French & German, which comprises 40.1% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are British & Irish (32.2%) and Eastern European (7.0%). Additional ancestries include Scandinavian, Spanish & Portuguese, Italian, Korean, and Indigenous American.

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ANCESTRY BREAKDOWNCOMPOSITION
French & German40.1%
British & Irish32.2%
Eastern European7.0%
Other20.6%
Welter

Possible origins of the surname Welter

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 Welter have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.

RECENT ANCESTRY LocationPercentage
West Midlands, United Kingdom67.20%
Greater London, United Kingdom67.20%
Greater Manchester, United Kingdom67.20%
Merseyside, United Kingdom66.40%
Lancashire, United Kingdom65.60%

What Welter 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 Welter is R-P312, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-P312 is descended from haplogroup R-M343. Other common haplogroups include I-Z58 and R-Z645, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Scharf, Hesse, Walther, Alberts, Hartwig, Seidel, Bartels, Holtz, Sand, Shuster.

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

welterPaternal Haplogroup Origins R-M343

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 Welter 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

Welter

Chocolate Ice Cream

Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.

"Welter" Surname 43.5%

23andMe Users 41.3%

Traits

Welter

Misophonia

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

"Welter" Surname 16.3%

23andMe Users 27.9%

Habits

Welter

Sugary Drink

Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.

"Welter" Surname 17.6%

23andMe Users 21.1%

Wellness

Welter

Migraine

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

"Welter" Surname 18.2%

23andMe Users 16.4%

Are health conditions linked to the last name Welter?

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 Welter 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

French & German 60.8%

23andMe Users 57.2%