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

Westbay, 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 Westbay surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Westbay in America

Westbay is the 51610th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Westbay surname appeared 403 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Westbay.

We can also compare 2010 data for Westbay 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.

The history of the last name Westbay

The surname WESTBAY has its origins in England, tracing back to the Middle Ages. It is a locational surname derived from a place name, likely referring to a bay or inlet on the western coast of the country. This type of surname was common during that period, as people were often identified by the location they were from.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the WESTBAY name can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive record of landholdings and taxation compiled in 1086 under the orders of William the Conqueror. This suggests that the surname had already been established by the late 11th century.

Over the centuries, various spellings of the name emerged, such asWESTBAYE and WESTBEY, reflecting the fluid nature of orthography during those times. The name may have also been influenced by Old English words like "west" and "bæg," which meant "west" and "bay" or "inlet," respectively.

Notable individuals bearing the WESTBAY surname throughout history include Sir John WESTBAY (c. 1420-1498), a prominent knight and landowner in Somerset during the Wars of the Roses. Another notable figure was Elizabeth WESTBAY (1563-1619), a wealthy merchant and philanthropist who funded the construction of several churches and schools in her hometown of Bristol.

In the 18th century, the WESTBAY family established itself as a respected lineage in the county of Devon, with several members serving as local magistrates and clergymen. One such individual was Reverend William WESTBAY (1721-1798), a renowned theologian and author of several influential religious texts.

The name also found its way to the American colonies, with records showing a Thomas WESTBAY (c. 1640-1712) as one of the earliest settlers in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. His descendants played a role in the American Revolutionary War, with Captain James WESTBAY (1745-1823) serving in the Continental Army under General George Washington.

Throughout its history, the WESTBAY surname has been associated with various places and locations, reflecting its locational origins. This rich heritage has contributed to the enduring legacy of this English family name.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Westbay

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

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 Westbay was:

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

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

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Westbay, 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!