NameCensus.

UK surname

Welsman

In the 1881 census there were 124 people recorded with the Welsman surname, ranking it #17,429 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 144, ranked #24,390, down from #17,429 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Sidbury, Exeter St David (including Castle Yard) and London parishes. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Denbighshire, Bristol and East Devon.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Welsman is 178 in 2002. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 16.1%.

1881 census count

124

Ranked #17,429

Modern count

144

2016, ranked #24,390

Peak year

2002

178 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Welsman had 124 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #17,429 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 144 in 2016, ranked #24,390.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 166 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Welsman surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Welsman surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Welsman 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 102 #16,933
1861 historical 109 #19,693
1881 historical 124 #17,429
1891 historical 139 #19,311
1901 historical 153 #17,844
1911 historical 166 #16,756
1997 modern 154 #20,780
1998 modern 170 #20,030
1999 modern 170 #20,153
2000 modern 171 #20,044
2001 modern 169 #19,912
2002 modern 178 #19,671
2003 modern 172 #19,893
2004 modern 168 #20,300
2005 modern 160 #20,899
2006 modern 157 #21,322
2007 modern 158 #21,464
2008 modern 160 #21,521
2009 modern 167 #21,383
2010 modern 160 #22,487
2011 modern 150 #23,309
2012 modern 139 #24,485
2013 modern 135 #25,395
2014 modern 145 #24,395
2015 modern 141 #24,723
2016 modern 144 #24,390

Geography

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Where Welsmans are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Sidbury, Exeter St David (including Castle Yard), London parishes, Sherborne and St James Clerkenwell. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Denbighshire, Bristol, East Devon and Brighton and Hove. 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 Sidbury Devon
2 Exeter St David (including Castle Yard) Devon
3 London parishes London 3
4 Sherborne Dorset
5 St James Clerkenwell London (Central Districts)

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Denbighshire 017 Denbighshire
2 Bristol 002 Bristol, City of
3 East Devon 008 East Devon
4 Bristol 001 Bristol, City of
5 Brighton and Hove 024 Brighton and Hove

Forenames

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First names often paired with Welsman

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Welsman

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Welsman, 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

Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities

Group

Rural Amenity

Nationally, the Welsman surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Welsman household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

This Group comprises older parents or retirees, with no resident dependent children, and with the lowest residential densities in this Supergroup. Predominantly UK-born, residents typically live in detached houses, although others do live in semi-detached and terraced properties. The level of multiple car ownership is the highest in this Supergroup. Most houses are owner occupied although social renting is also present. Many concentrations occur in high amenity rural locations, such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Wider pattern

Pervasive throughout the UK, members of this Supergroup typically own (or are buying) their detached, semi-detached or terraced homes. They are also typically educated to A Level/Highers or degree level and work in skilled or professional occupations. Typically born in the UK, some families have children, although the median adult age is above 45 and some property has become under-occupied after children have left home. This Supergroup is pervasive not only in suburban locations, but also in neighbourhoods at or beyond the edge of cities that adjoin rural parts of the country.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

Established Homeowners with Children

Within London, Welsman is most associated with areas classed as Established Homeowners with Children, 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 predominantly British-born residents are typically married/in civil partnerships and own the properties in which they are raising their children. Parents are typically over 45, and many other residents are beyond normal retirement age. Detached and semi-detached houses predominate and multiple car ownership is common.

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

Welsman is most concentrated in decile 3 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the less healthy 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.

3
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Welsman falls in decile 6 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname near the middle of the scale.

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

6
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Welsman is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 25-30 mbit/s.

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

5
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

1881 census detail

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Welsman families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Welsman 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. Devon leads with 68 Welsmans recorded in 1881 and an index of 27.01x.

County Total Index
Devon 68 27.01x
Middlesex 42 3.47x
Surrey 7 1.19x
Dorset 4 5.04x
Hertfordshire 1 1.20x
Kent 1 0.24x
Sussex 1 0.49x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Aylesbeare in Devon leads with 21 Welsmans recorded in 1881 and an index of 5833.33x.

Place Total Index
Aylesbeare 21 5833.33x
Sidbury 12 2222.22x
Shoreditch London 9 17.17x
Ottery St Mary 8 484.85x
St Pancras London 8 8.22x
Islington London 7 5.97x
Lambeth 7 6.64x
Exeter Allhallows Onthe 5 4545.45x
Exeter St Kerrian 5 2777.78x
Uffculme 5 666.67x
Exeter St Mary Steps 4 701.75x
Hackney London 4 5.90x
Sherborne 4 170.94x
Bethnal Green London 3 5.71x
Colaton Raleigh 3 967.74x
St Andrew Holborn 3 73.17x
Clerkenwell London 2 7.01x
Exeter St Mary Major 2 131.58x
Honiton 2 143.88x
Pinner 2 188.68x
Tottenham 2 10.38x
Bromley London 1 3.76x
Exeter St David 1 46.51x
Slaugham 1 151.52x
St George Hanover 1 6.33x
Tunstall 1 909.09x
Ware 1 41.84x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Elizabeth 6
Mary 6
Eliza 3
Emily 3
Emma 3
Jane 3
Ann 2
Ellen 2
Hannah 2
Susan 2
Aberzana 1
Alice 1
Alma 1
Anna 1
Annie 1
Aphrah 1
Beatrice 1
Blanch 1
C. 1
Edith 1
Eliz. 1
Harriet 1
Harriett 1
Jessie 1
Joan 1
Kathleen 1
Laura 1
Lilly 1
Lily 1
Louisa 1
Maria 1
Minnie 1
Olive 1
Rose 1
Sarah 1
Sophia 1
Sylvia 1
Thomesinn 1
Tryphana 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 11
George 6
John 6
James 5
Frank 4
Charles 3
Frederick 3
Joseph 3
Alfred 2
Arthur 2
Henry 2
Jas.R. 2
A.E. 1
Daniel 1
Edward 1
Fred 1
Herbert 1
Hubert 1
Marwood 1
Oliver 1
Oswald 1
Robert 1
Sidney 1
Thomas 1
Wm.Hy. 1

FAQ

Welsman surname: questions and answers

How common was the Welsman surname in 1881?

In 1881, 124 people were recorded with the Welsman surname. That placed it at #17,429 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Welsman surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 144 in 2016. That gives Welsman a modern rank of #24,390.

What does the Welsman map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Welsman 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.