Surname Welsch - Meaning and Origin
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Decoding the Welsch Surname through the iGENEA DNA Test: A Personal Reflection on Family Identity
Finding my family's descent through iGENEA DNA testing was an awakening. It reached far beyond what I had imagined about our surname Welsch, altering my understanding of our ancestry and family identity.
K. Welsch
read moreWelsch: What does the surname Welsch mean?
The surname Welsch is of Germanic origin, and is derived from the Old High German word welsc which means 'foreigner'. It was used to refer to people from outside central Europe, often from the Nordic countries. Welsch was likely a name given to people who had migrated from outside Germanic regions to live in the German states. It is now used as a surname across Germany and other parts of Europe as well as the United States.
In some places, Welsch has taken on a nickname meaning, with Welsch often being used as a play on the word Welsh, in reference to the country of Wales and its inhabitants. There is also a theory that the surname could also be derived from the Latin 'welscus' meaning 'stranger or pilgrim.'
As a surname, Welsch has been used throughout history to denote a person of foreign origin or to distinguish those with foreign ancestry from those of native German culture. Indeed, in Bavaria, it was a law that anyone with a foreign surname had to add Welsch as a prefix to their given name to differentiate themselves from others. Over time, this has led to Welsch being used as a collective term to denote people of foreign extraction, regardless of their actual national origin.
Today, Welsch is simply used as a surname or a name that denotes a person's origin outside of Germany, and should not be seen as an offensive term.
Order DNA origin analysisWelsch: Where does the name Welsch come from?
The last name Welsch is most commonly found in Germany and other German-speaking countries, such as Switzerland, Austria, and Liechtenstein. In the United States, Welsch is mostly found in the Midwest region, especially in Wisconsin, Minnesota, and South Dakota. This is primarily due to the large influx of German settlers to those areas during the mid to late 1800s. However, it is also found in other parts of the country such as California, New York, and Ohio.
Overall, the last name Welsch is most common in German-speaking countries and areas with a large German population, particularly in the Midwest region of the United States. Certain variations of the name can be found in other parts of the world such as New Zealand, Canada, Australia, and the United Kingdom. In addition, there are also some islands in the Caribbean known to have this surname, and it is even found in South Africa. Depending on the country, the spelling of the name may vary slightly, and it may appear as Velsch, Weisz, Wetzl, Wallscheff, Walsch, and Wälsche.
Variations of the surname Welsch
The surname Welsch is a surname that can be found in various languages and cultures. It is derived from the ethnic group of Celts known as the Gauls, who at one time inhabited much of Central and Western Europe. The name can be spelled in several ways, including Welsh, Welch and Welche. In some cases, the name may also be seen spelled Walch or Walche.
Depending on the language, the surname can be found in other forms. In German, the surname can be found as Welsch, Velscher, Welscher, Welscher, Weilsch, Velsche, Welsche, Welsche, Welski, Welig and Weleg. In Dutch, the surname can be found as Wels, Welscher, Welser, and Welz. In Spanish the surname becomes Velch or Weldch, while in Italian it is Velchi or Velco.
Variants of the surname Welsch can also be found in other cultures, like Scandinavian and Slavic countries, where the name sometimes takes on slight spelling changes or is combined with other elements. For example, in Swedish and Danish the surname becomes Welander and in Russian the surname can be found as Vel Sein.
One interesting fact about the surname Welsch is that it has also been adopted by the indigenous peoples of Canada and the United States as a name for Native Americans, likely due to the fact that the original Celts were driven away from their homelands and moved to America, taking parts of their identity with them.
Famous people with the name Welsch
- Walter Welsch: this retired German javelin thrower won the gold medal at theWorld Junior Championships.
- Rudolf Welsch: This Austrian composer, organist, music director and choir director died in 1920 and composed hundreds of works.
- Karl Welsch: This American professional basketball player played in the NBA for the Boston CeltKics.
- Heike Welsch: this German former track and field athlete specialized in the 400 metres, and won two gold medals at the 1996 Summer Olympics.
- Peter Welsch: This German footballer has been signed for the Würzburg Kickers club since 2017.
- Edgar Welsch: This Swiss cross country skier won a bronze medal at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in 1967.
- John Welcher, Jr.: This American Justice of the Supreme Court of Oklahoma served from 1980-1988.
- Curt Welsch: Surgeon General of the United States Air Force from 1966 to 1970.
- Elise Welsch: This German middle-distance runner competed in the 800 metres.
- Steve Welsch: This American figure skater competed in the 1992 and 1994 Winter Olympics.