2000
#764
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 41,053
First available Census row
Per 100,000 15.22
Uncommon Last name
Weeks
An English occupational surname referring to a person who lived near a dairy farm or worked as a dairyman.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 45,186 Americans carry the last name Weeks. That puts it at #859 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 13.18 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 7,585 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Weeks 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 Weeks with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
45K
1 in 7,585
Census rank
#859
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
13.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
39K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 39,404 bearers of the surname Weeks in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 13.18 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 859th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Weeks, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.3%. The next largest groups are Black (10.0%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Weeks
The surname Weeks is of English origin and is believed to have derived from the Old English word "wic," meaning a dwelling or a village. It is thought to have been initially used as a descriptive name for someone who lived near a village or a small settlement.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Weeks can be traced back to the 13th century in various parts of England, such as Yorkshire and Lincolnshire. It was often spelled differently in ancient records, including variants like Wyk, Wyke, and Wic.
One notable early reference to the name Weeks can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327, which mentions a John atte Wyke. The Hundred Rolls of Buckinghamshire from 1279 also record a Simon de la Wyke.
During the medieval period, the surname Weeks was associated with several place names across England, such as Wyke Regis in Dorset, Wyke in Surrey, and Wyke Green in Middlesex. These place names likely influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname over time.
Among the notable individuals who bore the surname Weeks throughout history are:
1. Leonard Weeks (1618-1696), an early settler in New England and one of the founders of Greenland, New Hampshire.
2. Mary Weeks (1634-1719), an accused witch during the Salem Witch Trials in colonial Massachusetts.
3. John Weeks (1786-1853), an English architect responsible for designing several notable buildings in London, including the Royal Pavilion at Brighton.
4. Edwin Lord Weeks (1849-1903), an American artist and orientalist painter known for his depictions of Middle Eastern and North African scenes.
5. Winthrop Weeks (1855-1936), an American politician who served as Speaker of the Massachusetts House of Representatives and as a member of the United States House of Representatives.
Over the centuries, the surname Weeks has been associated with various professions, from farmers and tradesmen to artists, architects, and politicians, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and accomplishments of those who bore this name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Weeks
Among Census respondents with the surname Weeks, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.3%. The next largest groups are Black (10.0%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Weeks 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 Weeks surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White81.3% · 32,050
- Black or African American10.0% · 3,931
- Two or more races3.8% · 1,488
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 1,382
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 288
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 265
Timeline
Historical Census data for Weeks
Weeks 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
#831
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 41,565
+512 bearers (+1.2%)
Per 100,000 14.09
Rank movement Down 67 places
2020
#859
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 39,404
-2,161 bearers (-5.2%)
Per 100,000 13.18
Rank movement Down 28 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #764 | 41,053 | 15.22 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #831 | 41,565 | 14.09 | +512 bearers (+1.2%) | Down 67 places |
| 2020 | #859 | 39,404 | 13.18 | -2,161 bearers (-5.2%) | Down 28 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 Weeks 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 | #831 | #859 | -3.4% |
| Count | 41,565 | 39,404 | -5.2% |
| Per 100K | 14.09 | 13.18 | -6.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Weeks bearers went from 41,565 to 39,404 (-5.2% change). The surname moved down 28 positions in the national ranking, going from #831 to #859.
FAQ
Weeks surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Weeks?
Name Census estimates that about 45,186 living Americans carry the surname Weeks. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 7,585 residents.
How common is Weeks?
Weeks ranks #859 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 13.18 per 100,000 residents, which is about 13 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 39,404 people with the surname Weeks. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (45,186), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 13.18 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 13.18 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 13 of them to have the surname Weeks.
Has Weeks become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Weeks went from 41,565 recorded bearers to 39,404. That is a decrease of 2,161 (-5.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #831 to #859.
What does the Census say about the background of Weeks?
Among Census respondents with the surname Weeks, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.3%. The next largest groups are Black (10.0%) and Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Weeks in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.3% (32,050 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Weeks appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (81.3%), Black (10.0%), Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Weeks (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 Weeks mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a person who lived near a dairy farm or worked as a dairyman. 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 Weeks (13.18 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 have the last name Weeks?
See how many people have the surname Weeks on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.