This surname may be extinct

Welfear Surname Definition:

This surname is derived from a nickname. 'well fare,' an expression of good will. I see no reason to doubt this origin. Nevertheless, Lower writes, 'Probably from Wifare, or rather Wulpher, a personal name, occurring in Domesday': Patronymica Britannica.

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Welfear Surname Distribution Map

PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
England121:2,031,28160,933

Welfear Surname Meaning

From Where Does The Surname Originate? meaning and history

This surname is derived from a nickname. 'well fare,' an expression of good will. I see no reason to doubt this origin. Nevertheless, Lower writes, 'Probably from Wifare, or rather Wulpher, a personal name, occurring in Domesday': Patronymica Britannica. This, of course, was the old personal name Ulthe Frenchcoming in such local names as Ulverston, Wolverhampton, &c. My instance is so early in its unaltered form that I prefer my own view; compare Welcome.

Simon Welfare, Norfolk, 1273. Hundred Rolls.

1654. Buried — Alse Welfare: Kensington Church.

A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames (1896) by Charles Wareing Endell Bardsley

(English) a nickname [Middle English welfare; Old English wel, well + faru, a faring, (lit.) a journey] Simon Welfare.—Hand. Rolls.

Surnames of the United Kingdom (1912) by Henry Harrison

Probably from Wifare, or rather Wulpher, a personal name, occurring in Domesday.

Patronymica Britannica (1860) by Mark Antony Lower

Corrupted from the old name Wulpher, a personal name in Domesday. compare the names Wulfhard, Wulfhere, Wulfred. Wulfhard signifies strong in help (ulf-hardt).

Ludus Patronymicus (1868) by Richard Stephen Charnock

Phonetically Similar Names

SurnameSimilarityWorldwide IncidencePrevalency
Welfer92180/
Welfar9250/
Welfare861,633/
Woelfer86329/
Welffer8655/
Wuelfer866/
Welfair865/
Welfard861/
Wuelfar861/
Welfere860/
Wellfare80257/
Woelffer80180/
Wellfair80121/
Wilfeard8049/
Wuelfert8015/
Woellfer801/
Belfehar801/
Wuelffer801/
Wielffer800/
Belfar773,302/
Wölfer771,450/
Belfer771,407/
Wilfer771,111/
Uelfer7743/
Velfer773/
Wälfer772/
Wilfar771/
Wlfier771/
Wellfarth750/
Belfarh71700/
Wilfart71478/
Wölfert71354/
Wülfert71136/
Belferh7184/
Velfert7132/
Wölffer7123/
Huelfer719/
Belfair714/
Belfeur712/
Belffar711/
Wilfiar710/
Willfer710/
Wilfier710/
Welpher710/
Woilfer710/
Wilfair710/
Wilfahrt67252/
Wilfarth6754/
Behelfer6753/
Wilffert6742/
Willfert6727/
Wülferth6723/
Wilfehrt6713/
Wöllfert676/
Belfower675/
Wilfarht674/
Willfart673/
Vlfar671/
Vielfaur671/
Wllfarth671/
Willfard670/
Willfare670/

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Footnotes

  • Surnames are taken as the first part of an person's inherited family name, caste, clan name or in some cases patronymic
  • Descriptions may contain details on the name's etymology, origin, ethnicity and history. They are largely reproduced from 3rd party sources; diligence is advised on accepting their validity - more information
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  • Rank: Name are ranked by incidence using the ordinal ranking method; the name that occurs the most is assigned a rank of 1; name that occur less frequently receive an incremented rank; if two or more name occur the same number of times they are assigned the same rank and successive rank is incremented by the total preceeding names
  • Ethnic group cannot necessarily be determined by geographic occurrence
  • Similar: Names listed in the "Similar" section are phonetically similar and may not have any relation to Welfear
  • To find out more about this surname's family history, lookup records on Family​Search, My​Heritage, FindMyPast and Ancestry. Further information may be obtained by DNA analysis