| ![Show Contents]() Welsh History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
Etymology of WelshWhat does the name Welsh mean? With the arrival of the Norman invasion of Ireland in the 11th century came new naming traditions to the eastern region of Ireland. These new naming traditions actually meshed fairly well with the pre-existing Irish traditions. Both cultures made significant use of hereditary surnames. And like the native Irish, the Strongbownians often used prefixes to build patronymic surnames, which are names based on the given name of the initial bearer's father or another older relative. Strongbow's followers often created names that were built with the prefix Fitz-, which was derived from the French word fils, and ultimately from the Latin filius, both of which mean son. They also used diminutive suffixes such as -ot, -et, -un, -in, or -el, and occasionally even two suffixes combined to form a double diminutive such as -el-in, -el-ot, -in-ot, and -et-in, to build patronymic names. The surname Welsh is derived from Breat(h)nach which literally means Welshman. Phillip Brenagh, known as "Phillip the Welshman" was likely the progenitor of the family. Phillip and his brother David arrived with Strongbow, in 1170. Early Origins of the Welsh familyThe surname Welsh was first found in Counties Kilkenny, Leix, and Waterford, in Ireland, where they held a family seat from 1170. Early History of the Welsh familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Welsh research. Another 129 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1170, 1580, 1604, 1606, 1615, 1618, 1654 and 1688 are included under the topic Early Welsh History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Welsh Spelling VariationsDuring the lifetime of an individual person, his name was often spelt by church officials and medieval scribes the way it sounded. An examination of the many different origins of each name has revealed many spelling variations for the name: Walsh, Welsh, Welch, Brannagh and others. Early Notables of the Welsh familyNotable amongst the family up to this time was Rev. Peter Walsh (1618-1688), who wrote "The Loyal Remonstrance"; for which he was excommunicated from the Franciscan Order; John Walsh...
Another 29 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Welsh Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Welsh World RankingIn the United States, the name Welsh is the 1,205th most popular surname with an estimated 24,870 people with that name. 1 However, in Canada, the name Welsh is ranked the 978th most popular surname with an estimated 5,529 people with that name. 2 And in Newfoundland, Canada, the name Welsh is the 453rd popular surname with an estimated 104 people with that name. 3 Australia ranks Welsh as 433rd with 8,695 people. 4 New Zealand ranks Welsh as 632nd with 1,126 people. 5 The United Kingdom ranks Welsh as 456th with 14,299 people. 6
| Welsh migration to the United States | + |
Ireland's Great Potato Famine left the country's inhabitants in extreme poverty and starvation. Many families left their homeland for North America for the promise of work, freedom and land ownership. Although the Irish were not free of economic and racial discrimination in North America, they did contribute greatly to the rapid development of bridges, canals, roads, and railways. Eventually, they would be accepted in other areas such as commerce, education, and the arts. An examination of immigration and passenger lists revealed many bearing the name Welsh:
Welsh Settlers in United States in the 17th Century- Mary Welsh, who arrived in Virginia in 1635 7
- Nich Welsh, who arrived in Virginia in 1635 7
- Thomas Welsh, who arrived in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1645 7
- Walter Welsh, who landed in Maryland in 1668 7
- Margaret Welsh, who arrived in Maryland in 1677 7
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Welsh Settlers in United States in the 18th Century- Judith Welsh, who arrived in Virginia in 1703 7
- Grace Welsh, who landed in Virginia in 1711 7
- Ellin Welsh, who landed in Virginia in 1715 7
- Elinor Welsh, who arrived in Virginia in 1717 7
- Hannah Welsh, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1746 7
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Welsh Settlers in United States in the 19th Century- Roger Welsh, aged 24, who landed in New York, NY in 1803 7
- Edmund Welsh, who arrived in America in 1805 7
- Louisa Welsh, who landed in New York, NY in 1811 7
- Martin Welsh, aged 36, who landed in New York in 1812 7
- Joseph Welsh, aged 42, who landed in New York in 1812 7
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
| Welsh migration to Canada | + |
Some of the first settlers of this family name were: Welsh Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century- Maurice Welsh, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1749-1752
- Mr. Francis Welsh U.E. who settled in St. Andrews, Charlotte County, New Brunswick c. 1784 member of the Penobscot Association 8
- Mr. Joseph Welsh U.E. who settled in Canada c. 1784 8
- Mr. Thomas Welsh U.E. who settled in Saint John, New Brunswick c. 1784 he served in the Loyalists 8
- Mr. Thomas Welsh U.E., (Walsh) who settled in Canada c. 1784 8
Welsh Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century- John Welsh, aged 23, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Madawaska" in 1833
- Rebecca Welsh, aged 23, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Madawaska" in 1833
- Patrick Welsh, aged 22, a labourer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Edward Reid" in 1833
- Alfred J Welsh, who landed in Victoria, British Columbia in 1862
- James Welsh, who landed in Esquimalt, British Columbia in 1862
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
| Welsh migration to Australia | + |
Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include: Welsh Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century- Mr. Michael Welsh, English convict who was convicted in Wiltshire, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Atlas" on 16th January 1816, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 9
- Mr. Edward Welsh, (b. 1811), aged 6, Irish settler travelling with Mrs. Bridget Murray convict, transported aboard the "Canada" on 21st March 1817, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 10
- Mr. Edward Welsh (b. 1783), aged 35, Cornish settler convicted in Cornwall, UK on 27th March 1817, sentenced for 7 years for stealing a parcel, property of Martin Tapson of St. German's, transported aboard the ship "Lady Castlereagh" on 22nd December 1817 to Van Diemen's Land, Tasmania, Australia 11
- Mr. John Welsh, British Convict who was convicted in Gibraltar for 7 years, transported aboard the "Dromedary" on 11th September 1819, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 12
- Mr. William Welsh, (b. 1810), aged 17, English shoe maker who was convicted in Lancaster, Lancashire, England for 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Florentia" on 14th August 1827, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 13
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
| Welsh migration to New Zealand | + |
Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include: Welsh Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century- Mr. John Welsh, Cornish settler travelling from Launceston, UK aboard the ship "Brazil Packet" arriving in Hokianga, North Island, New Zealand in 1836 14
- William Welsh, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1843
- Mr. Peter Welsh, Scottish settler travelling from Glasgow aboard the ship "Jura" arriving in Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 23rd September 1858 14
- Mr. John Welsh, Canadian settler travelling from Prince Edward Island aboard the ship "Prince Edward" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 13th May 1859 15
- Mr. John Welsh, Scottish settler travelling from Glasgow aboard the ship "Robert Henderson" arriving in Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 3rd September 1860 15
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
| Welsh migration to West Indies | + |
The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 16Welsh Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century- Mr. John Welsh, (b. 1600), aged 35, British settler travelling from Gravesend, England aboard the ship "Falcon" arriving in Barbados in 1636 17
| Contemporary Notables of the name Welsh (post 1700) | + |
- Kariamu Welsh Asante (1949-2021), American contemporary dance choreographer and scholar, awarded a National Endowment for the Arts and a Guggenheim Fellowship
- Stanley Larson Welsh (b. 1928), American botanist, Professor of integrative biology at the Brigham Young University for 44 years
- Matthew Empson Welsh (1912-1995), American politician, 41st Governor of Indiana (1961 to 1965)
- Thomas Jerome Welsh (1922-2009), American Roman Catholic Bishop of Allentown (1983 to 1997)
- Chris Welsh (b. 1955), former Major League Baseball pitcher
- Kenneth Welsh CM (1942-2022), Canadian film and television actor, best known for his villainous role as Windom Earle in Twin Peaks, and played the father of Katharine Hepburn as portrayed by Cate Blanchett in Martin Scorsese's The Aviator
- Mr. Richard Welsh, British sheriff, held the joint position of Sheriff of Nottingham, England from 1592 to 1593, he was Mayor in 1604 and 1611
- Mr. Richard Welsh, British sheriff, held the joint position of Sheriff of Nottingham, England from 1561 to 1562
- Andrew Paton Welsh DL (1944-2021), Scottish politician. He was the Scottish National Party Member of Parliament (MP) for South Angus from Oct 1974–1979, East Angus from 1987–1997 and Angus from 1997–2001
- Ms. Moira Elspeth Forbes Welsh B.E.M., British Postwoman for Balquhidder Glen, was appointed Medallist of the British Empire Medal 29th December 2018 for services to the community in Balquhidder Glen 18
- ... (Another 9 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
| Historic Events for the Welsh family | + |
- Mr. Thomas Welsh (d. 1914), British Trimmer from United Kingdom who worked aboard the Empress of Ireland and died in the sinking 19
- Mr. Martin Welsh, Irish Trimmer from Mayo, Ireland, who worked aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and died in the sinking and was recovered 21
- Mr. Christopher Welsh, Irish Trimmer from Mayo, Ireland, who worked aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and died in the sinking 21
- Mr. John Welsh, English 3rd Class passenger from Manchester, England, who sailed aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and survived the sinking 22
- Margaret Welsh, who was traveling aboard the ship "SS Atlantic" when it struck rocks off Nova Scotia in 1873, died in the sinking
- W. H. Welsh, who was traveling aboard the ship "SS Atlantic" when it struck rocks off Nova Scotia in 1873, died in the sinking
- Wilson Welsh, who was traveling aboard the ship "SS Atlantic" when it struck rocks off Nova Scotia in 1873, died in the sinking
The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.
Motto: Transfixus sed non mortuus
Motto Translation: Transfixed but not dead.
- "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
- "Surnames Meanings, Origins & Distribution Maps - Forebears." Forebears, https://forebears.io/surnames
- The order of Common Surnames in 1955 in Newfoundland retrieved on 20th October 2021 (retrieved from Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland by E.R. Seary corrected edition ISBN 0-7735-1782-0)
- "Most Common Last Names in Australia." Forebears, https://forebears.io/australia/surnames
- "Most Common Last Names in New Zealand." Forebears, https://forebears.io/new-zealand/surnames
- "UK surname ranking." UK Surname map, https://www.surnamemap.eu/unitedkingdom/surnames_ranking.php?p=10
- Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
- Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
- Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 14th July 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/atlas
- Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 9th December 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/canada
- Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 30th May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_australia_convicts.pdf
- Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 16th July 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/dromedary
- Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 5th October 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/florentia
- New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
- New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
- Pilgrim Ship Lists Early 1600's retrieved 28th September 2021 from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
- "Birthday and New Year Honours Lists (1940 to 2019)." Issue 62507, 28 December 2018 | London Gazette, The Gazette, Dec. 2018, www.thegazette.co.uk/honours-lists
- Commemoration Empress of Ireland 2014. (Retrieved 2014, June 17) . Retrieved from http://www.empress2014.ca/seclangen/listepsc1.html
- Halifax Explosion Book of Remembrance | Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. (Retrieved 2014, June 23) . Retrieved from https://maritimemuseum.novascotia.ca/what-see-do/halifax-explosion/halifax-explosion-book-remembrance
- Lusitania Passenger List - The Lusitania Resource. (Retrieved 2014, March 7) . Retrieved from http://www.rmslusitania.info/lusitania-passenger-list/
- Lusitania Passenger List - The Lusitania Resource. (Retrieved 2014, March 6) . Retrieved from http://www.rmslusitania.info/lusitania-passenger-list/
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