Welsh
A surname for someone of Welsh origin, or one that developed from the ethnic label "Welsh" itself.
The #1,166 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 10,239 Americans shares it.
Etymology
This surname usually began as an ethnic or regional name for a Welsh person, or for someone identified as belonging to Wales. The word itself comes from Old English wealh, a term used for a foreigner or a Briton; over time it became the ordinary English word for a Welshman. In surname use, it could function simply as a nickname marking origin or identity.
History
Lower notes that Welsh surnames were often patronymic in form, but English surnames such as Welsh could also arise as labels for nationality or origin. Bardsley records Welsh among surnames that have ethnic parallels in English naming, alongside forms like Welch and Walsh. In later records, Welsh appears widely in Britain and especially in English-speaking countries, including the United States.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Welsh is part of a wider family of surnames formed from old ethnic labels, the same naming pattern that produced surnames like English, French, and Scott.
From the historical record
“WELMAN, V. Wellman. WELSBY, v.Walesby. WELSH, V. Welch, Walsh. I V. Wellste(a)d. WELSTEAD WELSTED WELTON (Eng.) Bel. to Welton = the Farm- stead by the Spring [O.E. w{i)ell{a, a spring -f tiin, a farmstead, &c.]”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)Notable people named Welsh
- Irvine Welsh (b. 1958)
Sourced from Wikidata; linked to their Wikipedia page.