Welch (surname)

Content sourced from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Welch is a surname that comes from the Old English word welisċ, meaning “foreign” (from walhaz). It started as a nickname in Old Norman French, le waleis, meaning “the Welshman.” The nickname described people of Celtic or Welsh origin. An early bearer was a Cambro-Norman nobleman who witnessed a donation to the Monmouth monastery in 1140. Welch is closely related to Walsh—both names derive from the same origin. In Scotland, Welch is the common form, while in Ireland Walsh is more common due to the Anglo-Norman invasion.