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Welsh Family History

Welsh Name Meaning

Scottish English and Irish: ethnic name from Middle English welshe (Old English wēalisc wēlisc) ‘foreign Welsh’ for someone from Wales or a speaker of the Welsh language. Compare Walsh and Wallace . Americanized form of German Welsch . Americanized form of Ukrainian and Jewish (from Ukraine) Voloshin or its Polish variant Wołoszyn (see Woloszyn ).

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


Similar surnames: Welch, Welsch, Walch, Kelsh, Wish, Else, Welle, Weiss, Welz, Eash

Search for a relative to learn more about your family history.

Hint: Try searching for a relative alive in 1940.

Black & white image of a young woman scientist

Where is the Welsh family from?

You can see how Welsh families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Welsh family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Welsh families were found in USA in 1880. In 1911 there were 996 Welsh families living in Ontario. This was about 47% of all the recorded Welsh's in Canada. Ontario had the highest population of Welsh families in 1911.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Welsh surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

What did your Welsh ancestors do for a living?

In 1921, Farmer and Housekeeper were the top reported jobs for men and women in the Canada named Welsh. 31% of Welsh men worked as a Farmer and 20% of Welsh women worked as a Housekeeper. Some less common occupations for Americans named Welsh were Carpenter and Nurse. .

View Census Data for Welsh | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Male Occupations In 1921

  • Farmer
    31%
  • Labourer
    11%
  • Laborer
    8%
  • Carpenter
    5%

Top Female Occupations In 1921

  • Housekeeper
    20%
  • Stenographer
    11%
  • Student
    9%
  • Nurse
    8%
Black & white image of two construction labourers

What Welsh family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 423,000 census records available for the last name Welsh. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Welsh census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search Canadian census records for Welsh

Passenger Lists

There are 63,000 immigration records available for the last name Welsh. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in Canada, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Welsh immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 63,000 military records available for the last name Welsh. For the veterans among your Welsh ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Welsh military records

You've only scratched the surface of Welsh family history

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What is the average Welsh lifespan?

Between 1942 and 2004, in the United States, Welsh life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1942, and highest in 1999. The average life expectancy for Welsh in 1942 was 36, and 75 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Welsh

Discover the unique achievements of ancestors in the Welsh family tree

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