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Welford Family History

Welford Surname Meaning

English:: habitational name from any of the places called Welford of which there are instances in Berkshire, Gloucestershire, Northamptonshire, and elsewhere. The first is named from Old English welig ‘willow’ + ford ‘ford’; the latter two seem to have the first element well(a) ‘spring, stream’ + ford.

In north eastern England, it is an altered form of Middle English wel (y)fed ‘well fed’ via intermediate forms such as Welfett, Welfit, and Welfoot.

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


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Where is the Welford family from?

You can see how Welford families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Welford family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Welford families were found in United Kingdom in 1891. In 1891 there were 277 Welford families living in Yorkshire. This was about 28% of all the recorded Welford's in United Kingdom. Yorkshire had the highest population of Welford families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Welford surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
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What did your Welford ancestors do for a living?

In 1939, Farmer and Unpaid Domestic Duties were the top reported jobs for men and women in the United Kingdom named Welford. 11% of Welford men worked as a Farmer and 73% of Welford women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties. Some less common occupations for Americans named Welford were Gardener and Unpaid Domestic.

View Census Data for Welford | 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 1939

  • Farmer
    11%
  • General Labourer
    8%
  • Insurance Agent
    6%
  • Gardener
    6%

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    73%
  • Housewife
    3%
  • Domestic Servant
    3%
  • Unpaid Domestic
    2%

What Welford family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 19,000 census records available for the last name Welford. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Welford census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Welford

Passenger Lists

There are 2,000 immigration records available for the last name Welford. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the UK, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Welford immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 1,000 military records available for the last name Welford. For the veterans among your Welford ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Welford military records

You've only scratched the surface of Welford family history

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What is the average Welford lifespan?

Between 1959 and 2004, in the United States, Welford life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1959, and highest in 2001. The average life expectancy for Welford in 1959 was 54, and 81 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Welford

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Welford ancestors lived in harsh conditions. A short lifespan might also indicate health problems that were once prevalent in your family. The SSDI is a searchable database of more than 70 million names. You can find birthdates, death dates, addresses and more.

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