2000
#6,265
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,011
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.86
Rare Last name
Wescott
A locational surname derived from several places named Wescott or Westcott, meaning "west cottage" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,539 Americans carry the last name Wescott. That puts it at #6,711 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.62 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 61,880 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wescott 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 Wescott with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.5K
1 in 61,880
Census rank
#6,711
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,830 bearers of the surname Wescott in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.62 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6711th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wescott, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.8%. The next largest groups are Black (8.0%) and Two or More Races (4.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wescott
The surname Wescott is of English origin, derived from the Old English words "west" meaning west and "cot" meaning a small dwelling or cottage. It likely originated as a locational surname, referring to someone who lived in a small house or cottage situated to the west of a main village or town.
The earliest recorded instances of the Wescott surname date back to the late 12th century in various counties across England, such as Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, and Warwickshire. The surname appears in the Hundred Rolls of 1273 as "Westcote" and "Westcott."
In the Domesday Book of 1086, there are several references to places with similar names, such as "Westcota" in Gloucestershire and "Westcote" in Oxfordshire, which may have contributed to the development of the Wescott surname.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the Wescott surname was Richard de Westcote, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1204. Another early bearer of the name was John de Westcote, who was documented in the Feet of Fines for Oxfordshire in 1292.
During the 14th and 15th centuries, the surname began to appear in various spellings, including Westcott, Westcote, Wescott, and Wessecote, reflecting the regional variations in pronunciation and spelling.
Notable individuals with the Wescott surname throughout history include:
1. Sir John Wescott (c. 1550-1624), an English politician and landowner who served as a Member of Parliament for Gloucestershire.
2. Thomas Wescott (c. 1590-1660), an English clergyman and author who wrote several religious works.
3. Giles Wescott (1617-1688), an English settler in Massachusetts Bay Colony and one of the founders of the town of Warwick, Rhode Island.
4. Mary Wescott (1765-1834), an English artist known for her portrait miniatures and landscapes.
5. Brooke Wescott (1839-1918), an American Civil War veteran and politician who served as the Governor of Florida from 1893 to 1897.
The surname Wescott has also been associated with various place names across England, such as Wescott Barton in Oxfordshire, Wescott Hill in Gloucestershire, and Wescott Farm in Buckinghamshire.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wescott
Among Census respondents with the surname Wescott, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.8%. The next largest groups are Black (8.0%) and Two or More Races (4.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Wescott 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 Wescott surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White80.8% · 3,903
- Black or African American8.0% · 386
- Two or more races4.9% · 236
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 193
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.5% · 72
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 40
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wescott
Wescott 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
#6,516
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,205
+194 bearers (+3.9%)
Per 100,000 1.76
Rank movement Down 251 places
2020
#6,711
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,830
-375 bearers (-7.2%)
Per 100,000 1.62
Rank movement Down 195 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,265 | 5,011 | 1.86 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,516 | 5,205 | 1.76 | +194 bearers (+3.9%) | Down 251 places |
| 2020 | #6,711 | 4,830 | 1.62 | -375 bearers (-7.2%) | Down 195 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 Wescott 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 | #6,516 | #6,711 | -3.0% |
| Count | 5,205 | 4,830 | -7.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.76 | 1.62 | -8.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wescott bearers went from 5,205 to 4,830 (-7.2% change). The surname moved down 195 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,516 to #6,711.
FAQ
Wescott surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wescott?
Name Census estimates that about 5,539 living Americans carry the surname Wescott. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 61,880 residents.
How common is Wescott?
Wescott ranks #6,711 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.62 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 4,830 people with the surname Wescott. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,539), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.62 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.62 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 Wescott.
Has Wescott become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wescott went from 5,205 recorded bearers to 4,830. That is a decrease of 375 (-7.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,516 to #6,711.
What does the Census say about the background of Wescott?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wescott, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.8%. The next largest groups are Black (8.0%) and Two or More Races (4.9%). 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 Wescott in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.8% (3,903 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wescott appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (80.8%), Black (8.0%), Two or More Races (4.9%). 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 Wescott (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 Wescott mean?
A locational surname derived from several places named Wescott or Westcott, meaning "west cottage" 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 Wescott (1.62 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 Wescott?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the last name Wescott at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.