Welk Family History

Welk Surname Meaning

German: variant of Welge. German: nickname from Middle High German welc ‘soft mild’. Sorbian (Ẃelk): nickname from Lower Sorbian ẃelk ‘wolf’. This is also a Germanized form of the Upper Sorbian cognate Wjelk.

Sorbian (Ẃelk): from a Lower Sorbian pet form of a personal name such as Old Sorbian Welimir based on the Slavic element vel ‘big great’ also ‘significant’ (from Old Slavic velьjь).

This is also a Germanized form of some other similar (like-sounding) Slavic cognates including Upper Sorbian Wjelk.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022

Similar surnames: Welz, Werk, Wenk, Well, Wilk, Welp, Weck, Gell, Welke, Walk

52,000 record(s) for Welk

18K	Birth, Marriage, and Deaths
2K	Military Records
1K	Immigration Records
11K	Census and Voter Lists
18K	Member Trees

Where is the Welk family from?

You can see how Welk families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Welk family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Welk families were found in USA in 1920. In 1840 there were 3 Welk families living in Ohio. This was about 50% of all the recorded Welk's in USA. Ohio had the highest population of Welk families in 1840.

Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Welk surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

What did your Welk ancestors do for a living?

In 1940, Farmer and Clerk were the top reported jobs for men and women in the USA named Welk. 27% of Welk men worked as a Farmer and 13% of Welk women worked as a Clerk. Some less common occupations for Americans named Welk were Salesman and Housework.

We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Male Occupations In 1940

Farmer

27%

Laborer

19%

Truck driver

5%

Salesman

5%

Top Female Occupations In 1940

Clerk

13%

Housekeeper

10%

Maid

10%

Housework

9%

What Welk family records will you find?

Census Record

There are 11K census records available for the last name Welk. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Welk census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Passenger List

There are 1K immigration records available for the last name Welk. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the USA, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

Military Records

There are 2K military records available for the last name Welk. For the veterans among your Welk ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

What is the average Welk lifespan?

Between 1954 and 2004, in the United States, Welk life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1959, and highest in 1985. The average life expectancy for Welk in 1954 was 40, and 73 in 2004.

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Welk ancestors lived in harsh conditions. A short lifespan might also indicate health problems that were once prevalent in your family. The SSDI is a searchable database of more than 70 million names. You can find birthdates, death dates, addresses and more.