Ulrich
A Germanic surname from an old personal name meaning roughly “prosperity-rich” or “powerful ruler.”
The #2,180 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 18,523 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Ulrich comes from the old Germanic personal name Uodalrich / Udalricus, built from elements meaning “inheritance, property, homeland” and “power, rule, rich.” In later use, the name was associated with the familiar medieval German name Ulrich, whose Latinized form appears as Ulricus or Udalricus in older sources. As a surname, it is typically patronymic: it began as “son or family of Ulrich.”
History
The name was widely used in German-speaking areas, especially in southern Germany and the Alpine lands, and it spread through medieval saint veneration and ordinary naming practice. It also appears in Latinized medieval records and later became fixed as a hereditary surname. In English-speaking countries it is often found among immigrant families of German or Swiss origin.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Medieval records often Latinized the name as Udalricus or Ulricus, which helped preserve it in chronicles and church documents.
From the historical record
“WOOLRYCH. The A-Sax. personal name Ulrich, Ulricus. WOOLSTAN. WOOLSTON. 1. The A-Sax. personal name Wulfstan, or Ulfstan 2. Parishes, &c., in cos. Gloucester, Lancas-”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom