Welles

Welles is a surname of English origin, a variant spelling of Wells, derived from the Middle English word for a spring or well and/or from a place named Wells. The name may have originally described someone who lived near a spring or was associated with a well. Over time, spelling variants such as Wells and Welles developed.

The name is found in England and in North America, with many bearers in the United States tracing ancestry to English immigrants. As with many English surnames, migration and surname standardization have led to wider dispersal beyond its origin region.

Notable individuals with the surname include Orson Welles (1915–1985), an American actor, writer, director, and producer whose work in film and radio reshaped 20th-century media. His Citizen Kane (1941) is widely regarded as one of the greatest films ever made, and his War of the Worlds radio broadcast (1938) is a landmark in broadcast history. While other people with the surname Welles have appeared in various fields, the name is most strongly associated in popular memory with Orson Welles.