2000
#8,977
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,349
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.24
Rare Last name
Weeden
An English locational surname derived from a place name meaning "hill covered with grass" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,723 Americans carry the last name Weeden. That puts it at #9,574 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.09 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 92,064 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Weeden 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 Weeden with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.7K
1 in 92,064
Census rank
#9,574
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,247 bearers of the surname Weeden in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.09 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9574th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Weeden, the largest self-reported group is White at 64.7%. The next largest groups are Black (22.6%) and Two or More Races (5.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Weeden
The surname Weeden is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "wēod," meaning "weed." It is believed to have originated as a topographic surname, referring to someone who lived near a weedy or overgrown area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Worcestershire in 1221, where a William de Wedene is mentioned. This suggests that the name was prevalent in the West Midlands region of England during the 13th century.
In the 14th century, the name appeared in various forms, such as Wedene, Wedyn, and Weden, reflecting the variations in spelling during that time period. The Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327 list a John de Wedene, indicating the continued presence of the name in the region.
During the 16th century, the surname began to take on its modern spelling of Weeden. The Parish Registers of Tenbury, Worcestershire, recorded the marriage of Thomas Weeden in 1562, providing evidence of the surname's evolution.
Notable individuals with the surname Weeden throughout history include:
1. John Weeden (c. 1635-1718), an English-born settler in Rhode Island, who served as the Attorney General of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations.
2. William Bayard Weeden (1834-1912), an American historian and author, best known for his work "New England Hist-Biography."
3. Howard Weeden (1847-1924), an American architect who designed several notable buildings in Providence, Rhode Island, including the Rhode Island State House.
4. Robert Walter Weeden (1838-1927), an English-born American businessman and philanthropist, who co-founded the American Dyewood Company.
5. John Weeden (1903-1988), a British actor and comedian, known for his roles in films such as "Carry On Sergeant" and "Carry On Constable."
While the name Weeden has its roots in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly through immigration and migration patterns.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Weeden
Among Census respondents with the surname Weeden, the largest self-reported group is White at 64.7%. The next largest groups are Black (22.6%) and Two or More Races (5.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Weeden 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 Weeden surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White64.7% · 2,102
- Black or African American22.6% · 735
- Two or more races5.9% · 193
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 121
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.0% · 66
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 30
Timeline
Historical Census data for Weeden
Weeden 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
#8,646
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,803
+454 bearers (+13.6%)
Per 100,000 1.29
Rank movement Up 331 places
2020
#9,574
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,247
-556 bearers (-14.6%)
Per 100,000 1.09
Rank movement Down 928 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,977 | 3,349 | 1.24 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,646 | 3,803 | 1.29 | +454 bearers (+13.6%) | Up 331 places |
| 2020 | #9,574 | 3,247 | 1.09 | -556 bearers (-14.6%) | Down 928 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 Weeden 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 | #8,646 | #9,574 | -10.7% |
| Count | 3,803 | 3,247 | -14.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.29 | 1.09 | -15.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Weeden bearers went from 3,803 to 3,247 (-14.6% change). The surname moved down 928 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,646 to #9,574.
FAQ
Weeden surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Weeden?
Name Census estimates that about 3,723 living Americans carry the surname Weeden. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 92,064 residents.
How common is Weeden?
Weeden ranks #9,574 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.09 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,247 people with the surname Weeden. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,723), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.09 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.09 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Weeden.
Has Weeden become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Weeden went from 3,803 recorded bearers to 3,247. That is a decrease of 556 (-14.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,646 to #9,574.
What does the Census say about the background of Weeden?
Among Census respondents with the surname Weeden, the largest self-reported group is White at 64.7%. The next largest groups are Black (22.6%) and Two or More Races (5.9%). 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 Weeden in the 2020 Census, accounting for 64.7% (2,102 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Weeden appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (64.7%), Black (22.6%), Two or More Races (5.9%). 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 Weeden (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 Weeden mean?
An English locational surname derived from a place name meaning "hill covered with grass" in Old English. 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 Weeden (1.09 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 share the surname Weeden?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.