Weldon vs Wells
American parents have registered 14,274 Weldons since 1880, against 7,164 Wellses. But in 2025 it was Wells that was commoner, 958 babies to 46.
Babies given each name, 1880–2025
Weldon Wells
Each line is every baby given the name that year, girls and boys added together — the only count that means the same thing for both names. A line breaks where the name fell below five babies in a year — the point at which the SSA stops publishing it — rather than being drawn through a figure nobody published. A single published year in a gap shows as a dot.
Who was ahead
Of the 142 years in which either name was published, Weldon for 124 years and Wells for 18 years. The lead changed hands 3 times.
Side by side
| Weldon | Wells | |
|---|---|---|
| Total US births | 14,274 | 7,164 |
| Most in one year | 325 | 958 |
| Babies in 2025 | 46 | 958 |
| Estimated living today | 5,400 | 6,500 |
| Median age today | 62 | 4 |
| Peak year | 1920 | 2025 |
| Best rank | 323rd boys | 345th boys |
| Rank in 2025 | 2,765th | 345th |
| First recorded | 1881 | 1881 |
| Girls / boys | 25 / 14,249 | 175 / 6,989 |
A rank is a position within one sex’s list for one year, so the two rank rows are not subtracted from one another and the winning column is not marked on them. The living figure is a life-table estimate, not a count.
Which name is older
Half of the Weldons alive today are over 62; half the Wellses are over 4. That is 58 years between them: two names in use at the same time, worn by two different generations.
Where each one is strongest
- Weldon Texas (6.4×), Oklahoma (3.4×), North Carolina (3.2×)
- Wells Utah (7.7×), South Carolina (2.4×), Colorado (2.3×)
How much commoner the name is in that state than it is nationally, from births recorded since 1910.
Compare something else
Related comparisons
Social Security Administration birth records, 1880–2025, public domain. Full histories: Weldon and Wells.