2000
#137
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 163,481
First available Census row
Per 100,000 60.60
Common Last name
Webb
An occupational surname referring to a weaver.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 186,334 Americans carry the last name Webb. That puts it at #158 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 54.36 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,839 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Webb 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 Webb with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
186K
1 in 1,839
Census rank
#158
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
54.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
162K
common in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 162,492 bearers of the surname Webb in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 54.36 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 158th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Webb, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.6%. The next largest groups are Black (18.5%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Webb
The surname Webb originates from England and dates back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old English word "webbere," which means a weaver or a maker of cloth. The name was initially an occupational surname, given to those who worked as weavers or in the textile industry.
Webb is a variant spelling of the name Webber, which was more common in earlier times. The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1166, where it appears as "Willelmus Webbere." This suggests that the name was already in use by the mid-12th century.
In the 13th century, the name appeared in various records, including the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire from 1273, which mentions "William le Webbere." The "le" prefix was commonly used at the time to indicate a person's occupation or trade.
The Domesday Book, a comprehensive record of landholdings commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, does not contain any direct references to the surname Webb. However, it does mention individuals with the occupation of "webbere" or "textor," which means weaver in Latin.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Webb was John Webb (c. 1580-1628), an English architect who designed several notable buildings, including the Wilton House in Wiltshire and the Greenwich Palace for Queen Anne of Denmark.
Another notable figure was Samuel Webb (1662-1718), an English clergyman and author who served as the chaplain to the Duke of Marlborough during the War of the Spanish Succession.
In the 18th century, Daniel Webb (1719-1798) was an English mathematician and scientist who made significant contributions to the study of optics and the theory of halos.
The 19th century saw the rise of Alexander Stewart Webb (1835-1911), a prominent American soldier and military theorist who fought in the American Civil War and later served as the President of the College of the City of New York.
One of the most famous individuals with the surname Webb was Beatrice Webb (1858-1943), an English sociologist, economist, and reformist who co-founded the London School of Economics and Political Science with her husband, Sidney Webb.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Webb
Among Census respondents with the surname Webb, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.6%. The next largest groups are Black (18.5%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Webb 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 Webb surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White72.6% · 118,019
- Black or African American18.5% · 30,119
- Two or more races4.3% · 6,973
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 5,369
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 1,028
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 984
Timeline
Historical Census data for Webb
Webb 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
#152
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 168,878
+5,397 bearers (+3.3%)
Per 100,000 57.25
Rank movement Down 15 places
2020
#158
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 162,492
-6,386 bearers (-3.8%)
Per 100,000 54.36
Rank movement Down 6 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #137 | 163,481 | 60.60 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #152 | 168,878 | 57.25 | +5,397 bearers (+3.3%) | Down 15 places |
| 2020 | #158 | 162,492 | 54.36 | -6,386 bearers (-3.8%) | Down 6 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 Webb 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 | #152 | #158 | -3.9% |
| Count | 168,878 | 162,492 | -3.8% |
| Per 100K | 57.25 | 54.36 | -5.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Webb bearers went from 168,878 to 162,492 (-3.8% change). The surname moved down 6 positions in the national ranking, going from #152 to #158.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Webb
FAQ
Webb surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Webb?
Name Census estimates that about 186,334 living Americans carry the surname Webb. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,839 residents.
How common is Webb?
Webb ranks #158 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Common." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 54.36 per 100,000 residents, which is about 54 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 162,492 people with the surname Webb. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (186,334), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 54.36 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 54.36 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 54 of them to have the surname Webb.
Has Webb become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Webb went from 168,878 recorded bearers to 162,492. That is a decrease of 6,386 (-3.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #152 to #158.
What does the Census say about the background of Webb?
Among Census respondents with the surname Webb, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.6%. The next largest groups are Black (18.5%) and Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Webb in the 2020 Census, accounting for 72.6% (118,019 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Webb appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (72.6%), Black (18.5%), Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Webb (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 Webb mean?
An occupational surname referring to a weaver. 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 Webb (54.36 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 Americans have the surname Webb?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.