Welles is an English surname that comes from the Old English wella and means "springs" or "wells", given to a family living by a source of water; the extra e is the older spelling. The director Orson Welles is its most famous bearer. As a first name Welles was barely used before 2015, reached its best rank of 2437 in 2021 and sits at number 2985 in 2025.