Wellman
Usually a topographic surname meaning “man by the well,” though some early sources also treated it as an occupational name.
The #3,208 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 27,420 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The surname is usually explained from Old English elements meaning “well” or “spring” plus “man,” giving the sense “man by the well.” In older surname books, this was often taken either as a topographic name for someone living near a well or spring, or as an occupational name for a water-carrier or well-worker. Some 19th-century writers also linked it to older Germanic personal-name forms, but the place-and-occupation explanation is the standard one for English usage.
History
The name is recorded in older English surname collections and appears in parish and London examples from the medieval and early modern periods. It is also found as a German surname form, which may reflect a similar formation or later parallel development. In the English-speaking world, Wellman remained relatively uncommon but has been established enough to survive into modern census records.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Some older surname books grouped Wellman with other water-related names like Weller and Waterman, reflecting the idea of a person connected with a well or water supply.
From the historical record
“title from the Somersetshire town. WELLMAN (Eng.) Dweller at a Well or Spring [O.E. w(i)ell{a + mamt] WELLOCK, V. Wheelock. WELLOW (Eng.) Bel. to Wellow; or Dweller by the Willow [O.E. welewe'] The Wilts place occurs in various charters of the A.-Sax. period as Welewe; and either the Hants or the neighbouring Wilts…”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)