Wellford is a city in Spartanburg County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 3,293 at the 2020 census, up from 2,378 in 2010. Wellford was founded in 1840 by a man named Wellington, who was building a railroad in the area. He settled and named the town Wellington. When the town was chartered on December 9, 1882, the name was changed to Wellford.