Holding steady.
Popularity of Welby since 1893
Babies named Welby per year in U.S. Social Security records. Raw births topped out in 1921, but relative to how few babies were recorded back then, Welby's real moment was 1893.
Data table (by decade)
| Decade | Boys |
|---|---|
| 1890s | 6 |
| 1900s | 10 |
| 1910s | 85 |
| 1920s | 90 |
| 1930s | 66 |
| 1940s | 41 |
| 1950s | 15 |
| 1960s | 6 |
| 1970s | 28 |
| 1980s | 7 |
| 1990s | 18 |
| 2000s | 0 |
| 2010s | 0 |
| 2020s | 0 |
Meaning & origin
Welby is a rare given name of English origin, most likely derived from a surname and place name. First recorded in 1893, its peak year was also 1893 with a rank of 2802, indicating very limited usage. The name has a stable trajectory, never having experienced a notable surge in popularity. It has no top states and no recorded 1-in-N occurrence, reflecting its extreme rarity. Welby remains an obscure choice, appealing to those drawn to locational surnames as first names.
Welby is a locational surname derived from the village of Welby in Leicestershire, England. The place name likely comes from Old English 'wella' (spring, stream) or 'wer' (weir, dam) combined with 'by' (farmstead, village), a common Scandinavian element. As a given name, it emerged in the late 19th century, likely as a transferred use of the surname.
Nicknames & variants
Nicknames: Wel
Sibling names for Welby
Names that share Welby's style, for a brother or sister.
