Surname Wellborn - Meaning and Origin
all surnames with 'W'
Wellborn: What does the surname Wellborn mean?
The last name Wellborn has its roots in England and is a combination of two Old English words, ‘welle’ and ‘burne’. The suffix ‘burne’ refers to one who lived near or at a stream or brook, while ‘welle’ means ‘spring’ or ‘stream’.
The name likely belonged to the inhabitants of a manor near a spring, which would have probably served as a reliable source of water for the family and nearby communities. This spring would have likely served as a source of high quality water, thus effectively preserving the quality of life for such inhabitants.
Today, the last name Wellborn is most often found in England, Wales, and the United States, with a majority of the English and Welsh families descending from people who eventually immigrated to the US.
Regardless, the name Wellborn has strong ties to the environment and the preservation of life. Prior to modern infrastructure, water was of the utmost importance to any settlement, and the Wellborns may have played an important role in making sure future generations would be able to enjoy life’s most important resource.
Order DNA origin analysisWellborn: Where does the name Wellborn come from?
The last name Wellborn is most commonly found in the southeastern region of the United States, especially in the states of Alabama, Georgia, and Mississippi. The Wellborn family has been in the region since the mid-1700s and can trace its roots back to England.
In Alabama, the Wellborns were some of the earliest settlers in the region, arriving around 1750. They were mostly farmers and many of their descendants continued to farm in the region. The first county seat in Alabama was established in Wellborn, named after the family, and the town is still around today with a population of just over 3,000 people.
The Wellborns also spread into Georgia, where they settled in the Savannah area. The last name became very common around the 19th century, with the population continuing to grow. Around the turn of the twentieth century, the Wellborns began to migrate west, with some of them settling in surrounding states like Tennessee and Mississippi, as well as in Florida.
Today, the last name Wellborn is most commonly associated with the southeastern United States, with Alabama being the current center of concentration. Although the family is still very well represented in that region, some members have spread to other parts of the country.
Variations of the surname Wellborn
The surname Wellborn has several variants, spellings, and surnames of the same origin. It is found in English-speaking countries around the world and is derived from the Middle English phrase "welle-born." Variants of the surname Wellborn include Welborn, Welbourne, Wilbourn, Wilburn, Welburn, and Wilbourne. The variations of the name have been found in different locations and time periods.
In England, records of the Welborn surname date back to 1245, when a man by the name of Walter Welborn was listed as a witness to a gift of land in Buckinghamshire. By the mid 17th century, variants such as Wilbourn and Wilburn were recorded in London. In the United States, records of the Welborn, Welburn, Wilbourn and Wilbourne surname date back to the 17th century, when Thomas Welborn, James Welburn, and John Wilbourn were early settlers in Georgia and Virginia.
Variants of the surname Wellborn are also found in Scotland, Ireland, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. In Scotland, records of Welbourne, Willborne, Willburn, and Wilburn as variants of Wellborn have been recorded dating back to the 1500s. Similarly, records of Wilbourn, Wilburn, and Welbourne have been found in Ireland since the 1600s. In Canada, Welburn, Wilbourn, and Wilbourne are the most common variants of the surname Wellborn, while in Australia and New Zealand, Welbourne, Wilbourn, and Wilburn are the most frequent.
Overall, the surname Wellborn has numerous variants, spellings and surnames of the same origin both in its native UK and in other English-speaking countries around the world. The variants of the surname can help people trace their family history, as well as make discovering their roots a simpler task.
Famous people with the name Wellborn
- Lee Wellborn: former college baseball coach and sports commentator.
- Mickey Wellborn: American professional toe-tapper and guitarist.
- Roy Wellborn: Major League Baseball player.
- Tullie Wellborn: prominent 19th-century American lawyer and politician.
- Austine Wellborn: Hollywood actress.
- Percy Mayfield: blues singer and songwriter popularly known as the "Man Who Wrote Ray Charles' Hits".
- J W Wellborn: American folk artist, poet, and composer.
- Kahlil Wellborn: Pulitzer-Prize winning author.
- Josephine Wellborn: award-winning actress and philanthropist.
- Joshua Wellborn: Olympic gymnast and silver medalist.
- W. T. Wellborn: American politician and former governor of Texas.
- Sgt. Maurice Wellborn: World War II hero and military policeman.
- Ramona Wellborn: Miss Texas USA in 1990.
- Pat Wellborn: American actor and philanthropist.
- Ann Wellborn: multi-disciplinary artist and sculptor.