2000
#5,175
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,207
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.30
Rare Last name
Weddle
Derived from a place name meaning "weed hill" in Old English, likely referring to an area overgrown with weeds.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,868 Americans carry the last name Weddle. That puts it at #5,604 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.00 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 49,906 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Weddle 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 Weddle with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
6.9K
1 in 49,906
Census rank
#5,604
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,989 bearers of the surname Weddle in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.00 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5604th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Weddle, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.1%. The next largest groups are Black (7.3%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Weddle
The surname Weddle has its origins in the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of England. It is derived from the Old English words "wed" meaning pledge or covenant, and "hill" referring to a hill or mound. The name likely originated as a topographic name, referring to someone who lived near a distinctive hill or mound.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Wedhyll." This entry suggests that the name was already established in parts of England by the late 11th century.
During the Middle Ages, the Weddle family held lands and estates in various parts of England, particularly in the counties of Cheshire and Lancashire. In the 13th century, records show a John de Wedhull who was a landowner in Cheshire.
By the 16th century, variations in the spelling of the name became more common, with forms like Wedale, Wedall, and Weddle emerging. This was partly due to the lack of standardized spelling conventions at the time.
One notable individual with the Weddle surname was John Weddle (c. 1545-1599), an English clergyman and scholar who served as the rector of St. Mary's Church in Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk.
Another prominent figure was Sir William Weddle (1598-1661), a English politician and Member of Parliament for Liverpool during the reign of King Charles I.
In the 18th century, the name Weddle was also found in Scotland, where it is believed to have been introduced by English settlers. A notable Scottish bearer of the name was Robert Weddle (1737-1799), a merchant and landowner from Fife.
As the Weddle family spread across England and into other parts of the British Isles, they contributed to the social, economic, and cultural fabric of their respective communities. Some of the places associated with the name include Weddle Hill in Northumberland and Weddle Brook in Derbyshire.
Other notable individuals with the Weddle surname include John Weddle (1784-1859), an English surveyor and cartographer, and Thomas Weddle (1823-1899), a British-born Australian politician and member of the Legislative Council of New South Wales.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Weddle
Among Census respondents with the surname Weddle, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.1%. The next largest groups are Black (7.3%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Weddle 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 Weddle surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.1% · 5,039
- Black or African American7.3% · 439
- Two or more races3.9% · 233
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 201
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 44
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 33
Timeline
Historical Census data for Weddle
Weddle 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
#5,522
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,296
+89 bearers (+1.4%)
Per 100,000 2.13
Rank movement Down 347 places
2020
#5,604
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,989
-307 bearers (-4.9%)
Per 100,000 2.00
Rank movement Down 82 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,175 | 6,207 | 2.30 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,522 | 6,296 | 2.13 | +89 bearers (+1.4%) | Down 347 places |
| 2020 | #5,604 | 5,989 | 2.00 | -307 bearers (-4.9%) | Down 82 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 Weddle 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 | #5,522 | #5,604 | -1.5% |
| Count | 6,296 | 5,989 | -4.9% |
| Per 100K | 2.13 | 2.00 | -5.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Weddle bearers went from 6,296 to 5,989 (-4.9% change). The surname moved down 82 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,522 to #5,604.
FAQ
Weddle surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Weddle?
Name Census estimates that about 6,868 living Americans carry the surname Weddle. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 49,906 residents.
How common is Weddle?
Weddle ranks #5,604 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.00 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,989 people with the surname Weddle. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,868), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.00 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Weddle.
Has Weddle become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Weddle went from 6,296 recorded bearers to 5,989. That is a decrease of 307 (-4.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,522 to #5,604.
What does the Census say about the background of Weddle?
Among Census respondents with the surname Weddle, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.1%. The next largest groups are Black (7.3%) and Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Weddle in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.1% (5,039 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Weddle appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.1%), Black (7.3%), Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Weddle (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 Weddle mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "weed hill" in Old English, likely referring to an area overgrown with weeds. 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 Weddle (2.00 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 are called Weddle?
You can see how many people have the last name Weddle on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.