NameCensus.

UK surname

Welchman

One of English origin referring to a person from the nation of Wales.

In the 1881 census there were 174 people recorded with the Welchman surname, ranking it #14,042 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 104, ranked #30,317, down from #14,042 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Mynyddyslwyn, Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff and London parishes. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include The Vale of Glamorgan, Bassetlaw and Vale of White Horse.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Welchman is 206 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 40.2%.

1881 census count

174

Ranked #14,042

Modern count

104

2016, ranked #30,317

Peak year

1911

206 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Welchman had 174 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #14,042 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 104 in 2016, ranked #30,317.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 206 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established Mature Families.

Welchman surname distribution map

The map shows where the Welchman surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Welchman surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

Back to top

Welchman over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 132 #14,174
1861 historical 128 #17,375
1881 historical 174 #14,042
1891 historical 165 #17,143
1901 historical 198 #15,213
1911 historical 206 #14,677
1997 modern 161 #20,176
1998 modern 160 #20,832
1999 modern 164 #20,621
2000 modern 161 #20,822
2001 modern 158 #20,788
2002 modern 161 #20,925
2003 modern 150 #21,669
2004 modern 145 #22,289
2005 modern 125 #24,398
2006 modern 128 #24,267
2007 modern 133 #24,059
2008 modern 129 #24,790
2009 modern 128 #25,427
2010 modern 123 #26,728
2011 modern 122 #26,647
2012 modern 118 #27,250
2013 modern 115 #28,176
2014 modern 118 #27,961
2015 modern 114 #28,478
2016 modern 104 #30,317

Geography

Back to top

Where Welchmans are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Mynyddyslwyn, Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, London parishes and Ditcheat, West Bradley. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to The Vale of Glamorgan, Bassetlaw, Vale of White Horse, Stratford-on-Avon and Cambridge. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Mynyddyslwyn Monmouthshire
2 Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff Gloucestershire
3 London parishes London 1
4 London parishes London 3
5 Ditcheat, West Bradley Somerset

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 The Vale of Glamorgan 006 Vale of Glamorgan
2 Bassetlaw 008 Bassetlaw
3 Vale of White Horse 007 Vale of White Horse
4 Stratford-on-Avon 005 Stratford-on-Avon
5 Cambridge 007 Cambridge

Forenames

Back to top

First names often paired with Welchman

These lists show first names that appear often with the Welchman surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

Back to top

Neighbourhood profile for Welchman

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Welchman, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Retired Professionals

Group

Established Mature Families

Nationally, the Welchman surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Established Mature Families, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Welchman household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Married couples predominate, many with older dependent children. Detached housing is common. Homeownership rates are the highest within this Supergroup. The presence of some students suggests that households are towards the end of a child rearing phase. Many residents have degree level qualifications, and the occupational profile is heavily skewed towards managerial and professional occupations. Residential developments commonly occur on the periphery of major urban cities or conurbations.

Wider pattern

Typically married but no longer with resident dependent children, these well-educated households either remain working in their managerial, professional, administrative or other skilled occupations, or are retired from them – the modal individual age is beyond normal retirement age. Underoccupied detached and semi-detached properties predominate, and unpaid care is more prevalent than reported disability. The prevalence of this Supergroup outside most urban conurbations indicates that rural lifestyles prevail, typically sustained by using two or more cars per household.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

Inner London Working Professionals

Within London, Welchman is most associated with areas classed as Inner London Working Professionals, part of Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These primarily Inner London neighbourhoods are more densely populated than the Supergroup average. Residents have a younger over-all age profile than the Supergroup as a whole, and are less likely to be owner occupiers. Full time employment is more common than elsewhere in the Supergroup and multiple car ownership is uncommon. Chinese and non-EU-born European migrants are less in evidence than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

Wider London pattern

These neighbourhoods house people of all ages, predominantly of White British or European extraction. Resident turnover is low. Religious affiliation is less common than average and tends to be Christian if expressed. Homeownership, typically of terraced houses, is common but use of the social rented sector is not. Employment is typically in professional, managerial and associate professional or technical occupations. There are few full-time students. Level 4 qualifications are common. More households lack dependent children than have them which, considered alongside low levels of crowding and over-all age structure, indicates that many households may be post child-rearing and in late middle age. Incidence of disability is low, as is residence in communal establishments.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Welchman is most concentrated in decile 10 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier end of the index.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

10
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Welchman falls in decile 8 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the less deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

8
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Welchman is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Welchman, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Welchman

The surname Welchman has its origins in Wales, dating back to the medieval period. It is an ethnonymic surname, meaning it denotes the ethnicity or place of origin of the initial bearer. In this case, "Welchman" refers to someone who was a Welshman, or of Welsh descent.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname can be found in various medieval records, such as the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire, which mention a Robert le Walisseman in 1221. The spelling variations include Walyssheman, Walscheman, and Walcheman, reflecting the evolving nature of surnames during that time.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname is John Welchman, who was born around 1335 in Gloucestershire, England. He was a prominent landowner and held several manors in the region.

In the 15th century, the surname gained recognition with the rise of Edward Welchman, a wealthy merchant from Bristol, England. He was born in 1425 and became a prominent figure in the city's trade and civic affairs.

During the Tudor period, a notable figure was Robert Welchman, born in 1520 in Oxfordshire. He served as a clerk and translator for King Henry VIII and was involved in various diplomatic missions.

Another individual of note is Edward Welchman, born in 1665 in Banbury, Oxfordshire. He was a Church of England clergyman and author, known for his works on theology and biblical criticism.

In the 18th century, Thomas Welchman, born in 1720 in Somerset, made a significant contribution to the field of mathematics. He was a scholar and mathematician who published several treatises on geometry and algebra.

The surname Welchman has been associated with various place names in England, such as Welchman's Green in Herefordshire, Welchman's Hill in Somerset, and Welchman's Field in Oxfordshire. These place names reflect the historical presence and influence of individuals bearing the surname in those regions.

While the surname Welchman is not as common today as it once was, it remains a part of the rich tapestry of English surnames, reflecting the diverse cultural and ethnic heritage of the British Isles.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

Back to top

Welchman families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Welchman surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Somerset leads with 38 Welchmans recorded in 1881 and an index of 13.91x.

County Total Index
Somerset 38 13.91x
Middlesex 29 1.71x
Gloucestershire 25 7.51x
Staffordshire 19 3.32x
Warwickshire 14 3.27x
Monmouthshire 9 7.34x
Cambridgeshire 7 6.51x
Shropshire 7 4.77x
Surrey 6 0.73x
Kent 5 0.86x
Durham 4 0.79x
Bedfordshire 2 2.28x
Devon 2 0.57x
Hampshire 2 0.57x
Lancashire 1 0.05x
Northamptonshire 1 0.63x
Oxfordshire 1 0.95x
Sussex 1 0.35x
Yorkshire 1 0.06x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Handsworth in Staffordshire leads with 15 Welchmans recorded in 1881 and an index of 106.23x.

Place Total Index
Handsworth 15 106.23x
Bristol St Philip Jacob 10 31.91x
Risca 9 389.61x
Barton St David 8 4000.00x
West Pennard 8 1818.18x
Westbury On Trym 8 70.92x
West Lydford 7 4375.00x
Bedminster 6 23.37x
Kensington London 6 6.36x
Ruyton Of Eleven Towns 6 923.08x
St Marylebone London 6 6.62x
St Pancras London 6 4.39x
Southam 5 480.77x
Lichfield St Mary 4 242.42x
Parson Drove 4 930.23x
Rochester St Margaret 4 65.47x
Stranton 4 23.53x
Ufton 4 3333.33x
Birmingham 3 2.10x
Farmborough 3 612.24x
Glastonbury 3 134.53x
Gloucester Longford St 3 666.67x
Hampton London 3 107.53x
Poplar London 3 9.37x
Upwell 3 379.75x
Berkeley 2 108.11x
Blunham 2 333.33x
Clifton 2 11.88x
Kingston On Thames 2 10.07x
Lambeth 2 1.35x
Paddington London 2 3.20x
Richmond 2 17.26x
West Teignmouth 2 74.07x
Bridgnorth St Leonard 1 60.24x
Buckholt 1 3333.33x
Christ Church Newgate 1 126.58x
Claverdon 1 303.03x
Clevedon 1 35.21x
Ditcheat 1 212.77x
East Grinstead 1 24.69x
Eynsham 1 151.52x
Great Crosby 1 18.21x
Hampstead London 1 3.78x
Holdenhurst 1 10.95x
Leamington Priors 1 9.50x
Middleton On Wolds 1 270.27x
Northampton St Giles 1 16.45x
St Matthew Friday 1 5000.00x
St Peters 1 37.31x
Walcot 1 6.87x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Welchman surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Mary 13
Alice 6
Elizabeth 6
Eliza 4
Ellen 4
Ann 3
Harriet 3
Julia 3
Sarah 3
Agnes 2
Annie 2
Caroline 2
Charlotte 2
Constance 2
Emily 2
Florence 2
Jemima 2
Mabel 2
Anna 1
Arthur 1
Augusta 1
Bessie 1
Cecile 1
Edythe 1
Emma 1
Ethel 1
Eva 1
F.M.Edith 1
Fanny 1
Frances 1
Gertrude 1
Hannah 1
Harriett 1
Helen 1
Ida 1
Jane 1
Kate 1
Laura 1
Lillian 1
M.F. 1
Marcia 1
Marth 1
Matilda 1
Mirvelle 1
Susan 1

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Welchman surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
John 11
William 9
Frederick 6
Henry 6
Edward 5
George 4
Thomas 4
Arthur 3
Frank 3
Robert 3
Charles 2
Ernest 2
Herbert 2
James 2
Joseph 2
Willie 2
Albert 1
Alf. 1
Corneleus 1
Earnest 1
Eliot 1
G. 1
Gerald 1
Jonas 1
Mark 1
Max 1
Phillip 1
Rich. 1
Richard 1
Sidney 1
Stanley 1
Walter 1
Wm. 1

FAQ

Welchman surname: questions and answers

How common was the Welchman surname in 1881?

In 1881, 174 people were recorded with the Welchman surname. That placed it at #14,042 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Welchman surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 104 in 2016. That gives Welchman a modern rank of #30,317.

What does the Welchman surname mean?

One of English origin referring to a person from the nation of Wales.

What does the Welchman map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Welchman bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.