Webber last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Webber

An occupational surname referring to a weaver of cloth.

Webber, 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 Webber surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Webber in America

Webber is the 1335th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Webber surname appeared 26,405 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 9 people would have the surname Webber.

We can also compare 2010 data for Webber 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 1335 1228 8.35%
Count 26,405 26,178 0.86%
Proportion per 100k 8.95 9.70 -8.04%

The history of the last name Webber

The surname Webber is of English origin, dating back to the 12th century. It is an occupational name derived from the Old English word "webbere," meaning a weaver of cloth or tapestries. This occupation was highly skilled and respected during the Middle Ages.

In the Domesday Book of 1086, the earliest recorded use of the name appears as "Webbere" in Norfolk, England. The name was also documented in various medieval records, such as the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire in 1195, where it was spelled "Webbur."

The Webber surname was particularly prevalent in the counties of Somerset, Wiltshire, and Gloucestershire in the southwest of England. Many early bearers of the name lived in small villages and towns, working as weavers and contributing to the local textile industry.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the Webber surname was John Webber, a merchant from Bristol, who lived in the 14th century. Another notable figure was William Webber, a clergyman and scholar who served as the Dean of Ripon Cathedral in the late 15th century.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Webber family established themselves in various parts of England. Sir John Webber (1551-1619) was a prominent lawyer and judge who served as the Chief Baron of the Exchequer. Thomas Webber (1573-1635) was a renowned playwright and author who wrote several plays, including "The White Devil" and "The Duchess of Malfi."

In the 18th century, John Webber (1751-1793) was a renowned artist and draughtsman who accompanied Captain James Cook on his third voyage to the Pacific Ocean. His detailed drawings and paintings of the places and people they encountered were highly influential in documenting this historic expedition.

Another notable Webber was Samuel Webber (1759-1826), a British naval officer and explorer who surveyed the coastlines of Australia and New Zealand in the late 18th century. His contributions helped expand the knowledge of these regions during the age of exploration.

The Webber surname has been carried by many individuals throughout history, reflecting its long-standing tradition as an occupational name associated with the skilled craft of weaving.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Webber

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

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 Webber was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 82.78% 21,858
Non-Hispanic Black Only 11.39% 3,008
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 0.59% 156
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.59% 156
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 1.83% 483
Hispanic Origin 2.82% 745

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 Webber has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 82.78% 84.83% -2.45%
Black 11.39% 10.65% 6.72%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.59% 0.58% 1.71%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.59% 0.61% -3.33%
Two or More Races 1.83% 1.33% 31.65%
Hispanic 2.82% 1.99% 34.51%

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 Webber was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!

"Webber last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on December 11, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/webber-surname-popularity/.

"Webber last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/webber-surname-popularity/. Accessed 11 December, 2024

Webber last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/webber-surname-popularity/.

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