Surname Welday - Meaning and Origin
all surnames with 'W'
Welday: What does the surname Welday mean?
Welday is an English surname of Anglo-Saxon origin, derived from the Old English personal name “wiella” which translates to “wild” or “unruly”, combined with the suffix “daege”, which means “day”. Taken together, Welday could be a metaphor for a person of an unpredictable, reckless, or untamed temper. It could also denote a wild nature or a wild lifestyle, with its bearer having a tendency for escapades and adventures.
The name is especially common in the United States where it first arrived in the 1600s. During this time, early settlers of English origin created new variations of the word, such as Wolday, Walday, and Welday. It has also long been used as a family name, and is particularly common in the southern regions of the country. Over the years, Welday has also been adopted as a given name.
Welday is a testament to how an individual’s character can be represented by a family name. This particular surname is the perfect blend of a wild imagination and adventurous spirit, befitting the individuals who carry it.
Order DNA origin analysisWelday: Where does the name Welday come from?
The Welday surname is primarily found in the United States today. It is particularly predominant in the Midwestern states of Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois. In the U.S. Census records, the earliest Welday listed was in the year 1790, where a George Welday was enumerated in Virginia. Since then, the Welday surname has spread across the US, and is most common in the Midwest.
In Ohio, the Welday surname is concentrated in the counties of Hamilton, Montgomery, and Franklin. In Indiana, it is found mainly in Marion, Hamilton, and Hancock counties, while in Illinois it is primarily located in McHenry and Cook counties.
The Welday surname is also prevalent in other parts of the world, such as in Germany, but the number of people with this name in the US has outnumbered those in other countries. In Germany, the origin of the Welday name is associated with Uelzen, a city in the state of Lower Saxony. It is believed that George Ludwig Welday, who was born in Uelzen in 1735, immigrated to the United States in the late 18th century.
The Welday surname appears in many records in the United States, including the census, military records, city directories, and even birth, marriage, and death records. It is a common family name, and there are many individuals in the United States today with this last name.
Variations of the surname Welday
Welday is a surname which likely has regional and national variants due to variations in spelling and pronunciation within different dialects.
Variants of Welday include Waldey, Wealdey, Walday, Waldy, Wilde, Wilday, Woltie, Weltie, Welty, Weltey, Welti, Weltee, Weltea, Wyltea, Wyltee, Waytey, Waitey and Waytea.
These regional variants are also found in Scotland, where Welday is sometimes spelled Waidley or Wayldey. In Ireland, the surname is found as Wildey, Walday, Welty and Walty.
In Germany, Australia and the United States, the surname is spelled Welte. Other anglicised versions include Wilde and Wildey.
The derivative surnames of Welday and its variants include Weild, Wild, Wellday, Weltz, Wilt, Weltez, Weilder, Welt, Weltys and Welteez.
In the end, regardless of how the surname Welday is spelled, it is likely to have derived from the same original source, though exact origins are unknown.
Famous people with the name Welday
- Justin Welday: American professional golfer
- Tony Welday: former American professional basketball player
- Richard Welday: American actor
- David Welday: American softball coach
- Martin W. Welday: former United States Assistant Secretary of the Navy
- Katie Welday: American softball player
- John Welday: American jockey
- Chris Welday: American former NFL football player
- Annie Welday: Italian basketball player
- Robert Welday: Canadian former professional ice hockey player