Find out how popular the last name Weatherhead is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Weatherhead.

Weatherhead, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Weatherhead surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Weatherhead in America

Weatherhead is the 32960th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Weatherhead surname appeared 695 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Weatherhead.

We can also compare 2010 data for Weatherhead to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Weatherhead

The surname Weatherhead is of English origin, derived from the Old English words "weder" meaning weather and "heafod" meaning head. It likely originated as a nickname for someone who worked outdoors or was particularly affected by the weather, perhaps with a sunburned or weathered complexion.

The earliest recorded instances of the name date back to the 13th century, with one William Wetherheved mentioned in the Assize Court Rolls of Cheshire in 1287. The name also appears in various forms such as Wederheved and Wetherheved in the Hundred Rolls of Norfolk and Wiltshire from the same period.

In the 14th century, a John Wederhede was listed in the Coroners' Rolls of Yorkshire in 1348, while a Henry Wedyrheyd was recorded in the Poll Tax Returns of Yorkshire in 1379. These variations in spelling reflect the evolution of the name over time.

One of the earliest known individuals with the surname was Sir Robert Weatherhead, a prominent merchant and alderman in the city of London, who lived from around 1450 to 1528. He served as Lord Mayor of London in 1506 and is mentioned in various historical records of the time.

Another notable bearer of the name was John Weatherhead, an English clergyman and academic who lived from 1592 to 1648. He was a fellow of St. John's College, Cambridge, and served as the college's president from 1643 until his death.

In the 18th century, James Weatherhead, born in 1700, was a renowned British surgeon and author of several medical texts, including "A New and Easy System of Midwifery" published in 1756.

During the 19th century, George Weatherhead, born in 1808, was a prominent English Quaker and philanthropist who worked tirelessly for social reform and the abolition of slavery. He was also a successful businessman and author of several works on religious and social topics.

A more recent figure was Sir Lancelot Weatherhead, a British diplomat and civil servant who lived from 1889 to 1977. He served as the British ambassador to Sweden and was appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of St. Michael and St. George in 1945.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Weatherhead

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Weatherhead.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Weatherhead was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Weatherhead has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Weatherhead was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Weatherhead, please contact us.

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