Welles
Boy name · #2949 in 2025 · Very rare
In 2025, 42 baby boys were named Welles, placing it at #2949 in the official national rankings. A decade ago it stood at #4890, so the name has been rising over the past ten years. Roughly one in every 42,857 boys born in 2025 was named Welles.
Babies named Welles per year. Source: SSA.
The 110-year story
Welles first appears in the Social Security records in 1915, when 5 boys received the name. Its peak came in 2021, when 56 boys were named Welles — good for #2410 that year. Today's parents encounter it on its way down the popularity curve, which for many parents is exactly the appeal. Following the curve matters more than today's snapshot: a name's position on its rise-peak-decline arc is the best predictor of how common it will feel in a kindergarten class five years from now.
Unlock the 5-year forecast and compare Welles against up to 5 other names.
Uniqueness: will there be another Welles in class?
On our rarity read — which blends how common Welles is today with its five-year momentum — the name reads as "very rare". A high score means genuine rarity — your Welles will likely be the only one in the room, with the occasional spelling-out as the price.
Where Welles is most common
State-level data for Welles is too sparse in 2025 to rank by rate — in most states its count falls below the SSA's per-state reporting threshold (counts under 5 are withheld).
Names like Welles
Statistically, parents drawn to Welles tend to be choosing among names with similar popularity arcs, era profiles, and sounds — the closest matches in our model are Stiles, Idrees, Styles, Hades, and Wolfe.
StilesIdreesStylesHadesWolfeWarisAchillesWitten
Rank history (last 25 years)
| Year | Babies named Welles | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 42 | #2941 |
| 2024 | 32 | #3524 |
| 2023 | 31 | #3629 |
| 2022 | 43 | #2919 |
| 2021 | 56 | #2410 |
| 2020 | 33 | #3344 |
| 2019 | 40 | #2993 |
| 2018 | 46 | #2674 |
| 2017 | 46 | #2672 |
| 2016 | 32 | #3441 |
| 2015 | 19 | #4890 |
| 2014 | 15 | #5733 |
| 2013 | 10 | #7537 |
| 2012 | 10 | #7559 |
| 2010 | 5 | #12231 |
| 1917 | 5 | #3981 |
| 1915 | 5 | #3825 |
Frequently asked questions
Is Welles a popular boy name?
Welles ranked #2949 among boys in 2025 with 42 babies given the name — outside the top 500, making it an uncommon pick. Ten years earlier it ranked #4890.
When was the name Welles most popular?
Welles peaked in 2021, when 56 American boys received the name (ranked #2410 that year). Since 2021 the name has declined from that high.
How rare is the name Welles?
In 2025, roughly 1 in 42,857 newborn American boys was named Welles. On our rarity scale (rarity blended with momentum) we classify it as "very rare".
Data source: U.S. Social Security Administration name statistics, 1880–2025, national and state files. Counts reflect Social Security card applications; names with fewer than 5 occurrences in a state-year are suppressed by the SSA.