Welch (surname)


Welch is a surname that comes from the Old English word, meaning ‘foreign’. The first attested use of the cognomen was derived from the Old Norman French “le waleis”, meaning ‘the welshman’ and was first used as a nickname to a Cambro-Norman nobleman who witnessed a donation to the monastery of Monmouth in 1140. This nobleman was named William de la Haye and was the son of Nest ferch Rhys ap Tewdwr, he was called the ‘brother’ of Robert Fitz Stephen in a charter from “Unpublished Charters Pertaining to Ireland”.
It was used to describe those of Celtic or Welsh origin. Welch and another common surname, Walsh, share this derivation. Welsh is the most common form in Scotland, while in Ireland, the form of Walsh predominates.

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