2000
#11,568
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,493
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.92
Rare Last name
Weatherby
Derived from a place name meaning "weather by," referring to a settlement close to a weather-exposed area.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,837 Americans carry the last name Weatherby. That puts it at #12,046 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.83 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 120,816 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Weatherby surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Weatherby with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.8K
1 in 120,816
Census rank
#12,046
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,474 bearers of the surname Weatherby in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.83 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12046th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Weatherby, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.8%. The next largest groups are Black (10.1%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Weatherby
The surname Weatherby is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is considered a locational surname, derived from a place name that referred to a particular town or village. One possible derivation is from the Old English words "wether" meaning a castrated ram, and "by" meaning a farmstead or village, suggesting the name may have originated in a rural area known for its sheep farming.
Another theory suggests the name Weatherby may be related to the Old Norse word "veðr," meaning storm or wind, combined with the Old English "by," potentially indicating a settlement exposed to harsh weather conditions. However, the exact origin remains uncertain due to the lack of definitive historical records.
The earliest known reference to the Weatherby surname can be traced back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where the name appears as "Wederbi" in the county of Yorkshire. This document, commissioned by William the Conqueror, was a comprehensive survey of landholdings and taxation across England.
One notable bearer of the Weatherby name was Sir Robert Weatherby (c. 1450-1528), a wealthy merchant and landowner from Yorkshire. He served as Lord Mayor of York in 1506 and was a prominent figure in the city's governance during the Tudor period.
Another individual of historical significance was William Weatherby (1620-1689), a Puritan clergyman who emigrated from England to Massachusetts Bay Colony in the 17th century. He served as the minister of the First Church of Ipswich and played a role in the early religious and cultural life of the colony.
In the 18th century, John Weatherby (1738-1810) gained recognition as a renowned gunsmith in London. His firearms, renowned for their craftsmanship and accuracy, were highly sought after by noblemen and sportsmen of the era.
During the Victorian era, James Weatherby (1825-1891) made his mark as a renowned horse racing official and bookmaker. He founded Weatherbys, a company that continues to serve as one of the leading authorities in the administration of British horse racing.
It's worth noting that variations in spelling, such as Wetherby, Wederby, and Wedderby, were common throughout history, likely due to regional dialects and the inconsistencies in record-keeping methods of the time.
While the Weatherby surname has its roots in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and continues to be borne by individuals across various cultures and backgrounds.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Weatherby
Among Census respondents with the surname Weatherby, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.8%. The next largest groups are Black (10.1%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Weatherby bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Weatherby surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White80.8% · 2,000
- Black or African American10.1% · 249
- Two or more races3.8% · 94
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 90
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 24
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 17
Timeline
Historical Census data for Weatherby
Weatherby appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#12,276
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,533
+40 bearers (+1.6%)
Per 100,000 0.86
Rank movement Down 708 places
2020
#12,046
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,474
-59 bearers (-2.3%)
Per 100,000 0.83
Rank movement Up 230 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,568 | 2,493 | 0.92 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,276 | 2,533 | 0.86 | +40 bearers (+1.6%) | Down 708 places |
| 2020 | #12,046 | 2,474 | 0.83 | -59 bearers (-2.3%) | Up 230 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Weatherby surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #12,276 | #12,046 | 1.9% |
| Count | 2,533 | 2,474 | -2.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.86 | 0.83 | -3.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Weatherby bearers went from 2,533 to 2,474 (-2.3% change). The surname moved up 230 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,276 to #12,046.
FAQ
Weatherby surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Weatherby?
Name Census estimates that about 2,837 living Americans carry the surname Weatherby. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 120,816 residents.
How common is Weatherby?
Weatherby ranks #12,046 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.83 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,474 people with the surname Weatherby. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,837), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.83 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.83 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Weatherby.
Has Weatherby become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Weatherby went from 2,533 recorded bearers to 2,474. That is a decrease of 59 (-2.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #12,276 to #12,046.
What does the Census say about the background of Weatherby?
Among Census respondents with the surname Weatherby, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.8%. The next largest groups are Black (10.1%) and Two or More Races (3.8%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Weatherby in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.8% (2,000 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Weatherby appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (80.8%), Black (10.1%), Two or More Races (3.8%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Weatherby (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Weatherby mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "weather by," referring to a settlement close to a weather-exposed area. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Weatherby (0.83 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the last name Weatherby?
See how many people are called Weatherby on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.