Frequency of Use
The stock of Welsh surnames is very small, which is partly attributable to the reduction in the variety of baptismal names after the Protestant Reformation. The typically Welsh surnames Jones, Williams, Davies, Evans and Thomas were all found in the top ten surnames recorded in England and Wales in 2000. Many of these names are also attested in England by the 14th century or earlier, long before they arose in Wales.
An analysis of the geography of Welsh surnames commissioned by the Welsh Assembly Government found that 718,000 people in Wales, nearly 35% of the Welsh population, have a family name of Welsh origin, compared with 5.3% in the rest of the United Kingdom, 4.7% in New Zealand, 4.1% in Australia, and 3.8% in the United States. A total of 16.3 million people in the countries studied had a name of Welsh origin.
Read more about this topic: Welsh Surnames
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