Welsh (surname)

Welsh is a surname from the Anglo-Saxon language given to the Celtic Britons. The surname can also be the result of anglicization of the German cognate Welsch. A popular surname in Scotland.

Etymology

It appears that the etymology of the name Welsh is derived from the Anglo-Saxon adjective wilisc or wielisc, an adjective derived from the noun wielisc, a term for a Roman or Roman subject. These terms were used by many ancient Germanic peoples to describe inhabitants of the former Roman Empire over the Alps, Rhine, and North Sea, who spoke Latin or Celtic languages. The Old High German walh became walch in Middle High German and the adjectival walhisk became MHG welsch. In present-day German, Welsche refers to Romance peoples, the Italians in particular, but also the French and the Romanic neighbours of the German-speaking lands in general.

The Anglo-Saxon variant wilisc of the Proto-Germanic root was applied to the native British peoples encountered by the Saxon invaders and settlers during the 5th and 6th centuries AD. Over the succeeding centuries the term wilisc morphed through Middle English into Welsh, becoming an epithet at once more specifically for the Welsh people, as England became increasingly populated with Anglo-Saxons.

People
Welsh
Origin
Word/nameAnglo-Saxon
MeaningForeigner, Stranger, Romano-Briton (Celt).
Region of originBritish Isles
Other names
Variant form(s)Walsh, Walshe, Welch; German cognates: Welsch, Walsch, Walch

References

    See also
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