Welsh Name Origin, Meaning and Family History

Welsh Name Meaning: A surname of Irish origin meaning 'Welshman' or 'foreigner' taken from the Old English word 'waelisc'.

A name given to someone from Wales or someone who has relocated to somewhere new. Became especially popular in Ireland after the Anglo-Norman invasion of Ireland.

Discover how your Welsh ancestors earned their living and spread across the country. Find out more about your family history by using the Free Search box.

Surname Distribution

Census frequency by county

Name Concentrations Within England and Wales

Welsh Surname Statistics


Top Professions for the Welsh family

Profession Census Frequency
Scholar 1,190
General Labourer 190
Coal Miner 165
Labourer 119
Domestic Servant 82
Agricultural Labourer 81
General Servant 54
Cotton Weaver 50
Dock Labourer 48
Dress Maker 44
Hawker 40
Living On Own Means 37
Laundress 36
General Servant Domestic 36
Living On Her Own Means 31
Farm Labourer 30
House Keeper 29
Blacksmith 28
General Domestic Servant 27
Charwoman 26
Cotton Spinner 22
Gardener 19
Tailoress 19
Char Woman 18
Cotton Winder 18

Welsh Surname Variants Ranking

Rank Surname Match Census Frequency
1 Walsh 80% 106,152
2 Welch 80% 69,279
3 Welsh 100% 51,280
4 Walshe 67% 954
5 Wilsh 80% 595
6 Weltch 67% 167
7 Wlash 60% 144
8 Whelch 67% 135
9 Wealsh 83% 127

Did you know?

The surname Welsh is the 3rd most popular variant of Walsh.

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