Baby Names US
boys' name ★ peaked 2021

Welles

Gender Boy · 2% girls Rank 2025 #2,985 Trend → Stable
Rank 2025
#2,985
among boys · ↑614 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
42
named Welles · +31% vs 2024
How common
1 in 40,668
boys born in 2025
Peak year
2021
56 babies
All-time total
480
#8,182 all-time among boys
First recorded
1915
in Social Security records

Welles popularity over time

480 babies have been named Welles since 1915, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.010.020.030.0418801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
BoysGirls

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s – – – – – –
1890s – – – – – –
1900s – – – – – –
1910s – 10 10 1 – #4,377
1920s – – – – – –
1930s – – – – – –
1940s – – – – – –
1950s – – – – – –
1960s – – – – – –
1970s – – – – – –
1980s – – – – – –
1990s – – – – – –
2000s – – – – – –
2010s 5 223 228 23 – #2,707
2020s (to 2025) 5 237 242 40 +77% #2,437

Where Welles is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 boys Implied rank
2026 41 0.02 outside top 500
2027 41 0.02 outside top 500
2028 40 0.02 outside top 500
2029 40 0.02 outside top 500
2030 40 0.02 outside top 500

The story of Welles

Welles is rare for boys in the United States, ranked #2,985 in 2025 with 42 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1915, 480 American babies have been named Welles. Its peak came in 2021, when 56 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2020s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Welles stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Welles?

The median living Welles is about 5 years old; half are between 3 and 8. An estimated 500 people named Welles are alive in the United States today.

median 5 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Welles year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 – – 42 #2,985
2024 – – 32 #3,599
2023 – – 31 #3,702
2022 – – 43 #2,958
2021 – – 56 #2,437
2020 5 #17,382 33 #3,411
2019 5 #17,844 40 #3,048
2018 – – 46 #2,707
2017 – – 46 #2,714
2016 – – 32 #3,521
2015 – – 19 #5,048
2014 – – 15 #5,979
2013 – – 10 #8,072
2012 – – 10 #8,113
2011 – – – –
2010 – – 5 #14,152
2009 – – – –
2008 – – – –
2007 – – – –
2006 – – – –
2005 – – – –
2004 – – – –
2003 – – – –
2002 – – – –
2001 – – – –
2000 – – – –
1995 – – – –
1990 – – – –
1985 – – – –
1980 – – – –
1975 – – – –
1970 – – – –
1965 – – – –
1960 – – – –
1955 – – – –
1950 – – – –
1945 – – – –
1940 – – – –
1935 – – – –
1930 – – – –
1925 – – – –
1920 – – – –
1915 – – 5 #4,377
1910 – – – –
1905 – – – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Welles, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Welles?

The median living Welles is about 5 years old. Half of all living Welless are between 3 and 8 years old.

How many people named Welles are alive today?

An estimated 500 people named Welles are alive in the United States, based on 480 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

How popular is the name Welles in 2025?

Welles ranked #2,985 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 42 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Welles?

480 babies have been named Welles in the United States since 1915, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Welles most popular?

Welles peaked in 2021, when 56 newborns received the name.

Is Welles a boy or girl name?

Welles is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 98% of babies with the name.

Is the name Welles rising or falling?

Welles is on the rise, noticeably more popular now than a decade ago.

Will Welles become more popular?

Welles looks stable. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 40 boys named Welles in 2030, ranking outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Names like Welles

Names that sound and feel close to Welles: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Welles with similar names → More names starting with W →