French as 'ciboule', and in Portuguese as cebolinha or cozida. Historically, the Welsh onion was known as the 'cibol'. The name 'Welsh onion' is a misnomer in modern English, as Allium fistulosum is not indigenous to Wales. "Welsh" preserves the original meaning of the Old English word welisc, or old German 'welsche', meaning "foreign". The species originated in Asia, possibly Siberia or China. Welsh onions are known as 蔥 (pinyin: cōng) in Chinese, 葱 or ネギ in Japanese (the Japanese transliteration, 'negi', is another term for Welsh onions), and 파 ('pa') in Korean.

Uses
The Welsh onion is widely used in cooking. It is a particularly important ingredient in Asian cuisine, especially in East and Southeast Asia. It is used in Russia in the spring for adding green leaves to salads. In Japan it is used in miso soup and in the takoyaki dumpling dish, among others.

It is often grown in a bunch as an ornamental plant.