2000
#2,473
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,376
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.96
Uncommon Last name
Weathers
Derived from a nickname for someone who had a stormy temperament or a weather-beaten face.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 15,362 Americans carry the last name Weathers. That puts it at #2,632 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.48 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 22,312 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Weathers 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 Weathers with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
15K
1 in 22,312
Census rank
#2,632
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
13K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 13,396 bearers of the surname Weathers in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.48 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2632nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Weathers, the largest self-reported group is White at 57.7%. The next largest groups are Black (32.7%) and Two or More Races (5.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Weathers
The surname Weathers is of English origin and dates back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Old English word "wederu", meaning "weather", and was initially given as a nickname to someone who had an interest in observing the weather or was often affected by inclement conditions.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Weathers can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1275, where a Walter le Wedere is mentioned. This spelling variation highlights the evolution of the surname over time.
In the 14th century, the name appeared in various records, including the Patent Rolls of 1324, which referenced a John Wedere from Lincolnshire. The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 also contained an entry for a Robert le Wedere from Oxfordshire.
During the 15th century, the surname began to take on its more modern spelling. The Hearth Tax Rolls of 1674 listed a Thomas Weathers from Yorkshire, and the Parish Registers of Warwickshire from 1683 recorded the marriage of a William Weathers.
Notable individuals with the surname Weathers include John Weathers (1579-1653), an English clergyman and author who wrote several religious works. Another prominent figure was Mary Weathers (1768-1842), an American pioneer and landowner in Kentucky.
In the 19th century, James Weathers (1835-1910) was a prominent businessman and politician in Texas, serving as the mayor of San Antonio. During the same period, William Weathers (1828-1902) was a Union Army soldier who fought in the American Civil War and received the Medal of Honor for his bravery.
Additionally, the name Weathers has been associated with various place names throughout England, such as Weathers Field in Wiltshire and Weathers Farm in Gloucestershire, reflecting the geographical distribution of the surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Weathers
Among Census respondents with the surname Weathers, the largest self-reported group is White at 57.7%. The next largest groups are Black (32.7%) and Two or More Races (5.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Weathers 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 Weathers surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White57.7% · 7,735
- Black or African American32.7% · 4,387
- Two or more races5.1% · 687
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 424
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 90
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 73
Timeline
Historical Census data for Weathers
Weathers 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
#2,568
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,073
+697 bearers (+5.2%)
Per 100,000 4.77
Rank movement Down 95 places
2020
#2,632
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,396
-677 bearers (-4.8%)
Per 100,000 4.48
Rank movement Down 64 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,473 | 13,376 | 4.96 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,568 | 14,073 | 4.77 | +697 bearers (+5.2%) | Down 95 places |
| 2020 | #2,632 | 13,396 | 4.48 | -677 bearers (-4.8%) | Down 64 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 Weathers 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 | #2,568 | #2,632 | -2.5% |
| Count | 14,073 | 13,396 | -4.8% |
| Per 100K | 4.77 | 4.48 | -6.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Weathers bearers went from 14,073 to 13,396 (-4.8% change). The surname moved down 64 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,568 to #2,632.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Weathers
FAQ
Weathers surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Weathers?
Name Census estimates that about 15,362 living Americans carry the surname Weathers. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 22,312 residents.
How common is Weathers?
Weathers ranks #2,632 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.48 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 13,396 people with the surname Weathers. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (15,362), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.48 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.48 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Weathers.
Has Weathers become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Weathers went from 14,073 recorded bearers to 13,396. That is a decrease of 677 (-4.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,568 to #2,632.
What does the Census say about the background of Weathers?
Among Census respondents with the surname Weathers, the largest self-reported group is White at 57.7%. The next largest groups are Black (32.7%) and Two or More Races (5.1%). 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 Weathers in the 2020 Census, accounting for 57.7% (7,735 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Weathers appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (57.7%), Black (32.7%), Two or More Races (5.1%). 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 Weathers (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 Weathers mean?
Derived from a nickname for someone who had a stormy temperament or a weather-beaten face. 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 Weathers (4.48 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 common is the surname Weathers?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans have the surname Weathers on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.