Welborn History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

When the ancestors of the Welborn family emigrated to England following the Norman Conquest in 1066 they brought their family name with them. They lived in Lincolnshire. Their name is derived from the Old English word welle, meaning well, and the Old Norse word brunnr, meaning stream or spring, and indicates that the original bearer lived near a well by a stream or spring. 1

The Domesday Book of 1086 has three listings: Welborne (Walebruna), Norfolk; Welbourne (Wellebrune), Lincolnshire; and Welburn (Wellebrune), North Yorkshire. 2

Early Origins of the Welborn family

The surname Welborn was first found in Lincolnshire where they were Lords of the manor of Welbourn and conjecturally descended from a Norman noble, Robert Malet, who was granted the church and mill by King William the Conqueror in 1066. The ancestry of Robert goes back to Graville near Havre in Normandy in 990, where he was descended from Algar, the seventh Earl of Mercia. 3

Early rolls gave a glimpse at the various spellings in use over the years: Walebrun was recorded in Lincolnshire c. 1155; Robert Walebrun was registered in the Subsidy Rolls for Sussex in 1296; and John Walebron was listed in the Subsidy Rolls for Sussex in 1327. 4 The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 had one entry for the family, that of Hugh de Welleburn, Lincolnshire. 5

Early History of the Welborn family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Welborn research. Another 42 words (3 lines of text) covering the years 1605, 1640, 1697, 1699, 1702 and 1929 are included under the topic Early Welborn History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Welborn Spelling Variations

Spelling variations in names were a common occurrence in the eras before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago. In the Middle Ages, even the literate regularly changed the spellings of their names as the English language incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other European languages. Many variations of the name Welborn have been found, including Welborne, Welborn, Welbourne, Welburn and others.

Early Notables of the Welborn family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Thomas Welbourne (Welbourn) (executed at York, 1 August 1605), an English Roman Catholic teacher, Catholic martyr, beatified in 1929. Thomas Wellborn (also: Welbourn, Welbourne, Wellbourne), (1640-1702), served as Captain in the King's Militia, and...
Another 41 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Welborn Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Welborn Ranking

In the United States, the name Welborn is the 5,382^nd most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 6

Migration of the Welborn family

For many English families, the social climate in England was oppressive and lacked opportunity for change. For such families, the shores of Ireland, Australia, and the New World beckoned. They left their homeland at great expense in ships that were overcrowded and full of disease. Many arrived after the long voyage sick, starving, and without a penny. But even those were greeted with greater opportunity than they could have experienced back home. Numerous English settlers who arrived in the United States and Canada at this time went on to make important contributions to the developing cultures of those countries. Many of those families went on to make significant contributions to the rapidly developing colonies in which they settled. Early North American records indicate many people bearing the name Welborn were among those contributors: Sam, Mathew, and Robert Welbourne settled in Virginia in 1652.

Contemporary Notables of the name Welborn (post 1700) +

Jack Welborn (1932-2021), American politician who served in the Michigan House of Representatives from 1973 to 1974
Scott T. Welborn, American politician, Candidate for Mayor of Troy, Michigan, 2013 7
Thomas Welborn, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Washington, 1948 7
Robert A. Welborn (1927-1985), American Republican politician, Member of Michigan State House of Representatives 47th District, 1974-82; Member of Michigan State Senate 13th District, 1983-85 7
O. M. Welborn, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Indiana, 1876 7
June Briney Welborn (1920-1995), American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Missouri, 1944 7
John A. Welborn (b. 1932), American Republican politician, Member of Michigan State House of Representatives 47th District, 1973-74; Member of Michigan State Senate, 1974-82, 1985-94 7
John Welborn (1857-1907), American Republican politician, Mayor of Lexington, Missouri, 1896-1900; U.S. Representative from Missouri 7th District, 1905-07; Defeated, 1898, 1906 7
Joe Welborn (1915-2000), American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Missouri, 1952 7
Jeffrey W. Welborn, American Republican politician, Elected Montana State House of Representatives 72nd District 2010 7
... (Another 11 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 25) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html