2000
#13,031
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,157
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.80
Rare Last name
Westbrooks
A locational surname referring to someone who lived near a western brook or stream.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,745 Americans carry the last name Westbrooks. That puts it at #12,391 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.80 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 124,865 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Westbrooks 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.
Bearers in the US
2.7K
1 in 124,865
Census rank
#12,391
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,394 bearers of the surname Westbrooks in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.80 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12391st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Westbrooks, the largest self-reported group is Black at 47.7%. The next largest groups are White (41.8%) and Two or More Races (5.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Westbrooks
The surname "WESTBROOKS" is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is a locational name derived from the place name "West Brooks," which likely referred to a settlement near a westerly flowing stream or brook. This name is a combination of the Old English words "west" and "broc," meaning a small stream.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in various historical documents from the 13th and 14th centuries. One notable example is the mention of a William de Westbrok in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1297. These rolls were financial records kept by the English Exchequer.
In the 14th century, the name appears in the Subsidy Rolls for Staffordshire, where a John de Westbrok is listed as a taxpayer in 1327. These records were compiled to collect taxes for military campaigns and other governmental expenses.
During the 16th century, the spelling of the name evolved to its modern form, "WESTBROOKS." One of the earliest recorded individuals with this spelling was Robert Westbrooks, who was born in Nottinghamshire in 1542.
Several notable individuals have borne the surname "WESTBROOKS" throughout history. Sir John Westbrooks (1580-1655) was an English politician and landowner who served as a Member of Parliament for Northamptonshire in the early 17th century.
In the 18th century, William Westbrooks (1718-1795) was a prominent merchant and ship owner from Bristol, England, who played a significant role in the city's maritime trade.
Moving into the 19th century, John Westbrooks (1819-1892) was a renowned British architect responsible for designing several notable buildings, including the Royal Albert Hall in London.
In the United States, one notable figure was Sarah Westbrooks (1857-1938), an African American educator and activist who advocated for equal educational opportunities for black children in the South.
Finally, in the 20th century, David Westbrooks (1920-2005) was a highly decorated British military officer who served with distinction during World War II and later became a respected historian and author.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Westbrooks
Among Census respondents with the surname Westbrooks, the largest self-reported group is Black at 47.7%. The next largest groups are White (41.8%) and Two or More Races (5.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Westbrooks 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 Westbrooks surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American47.7% · 1,141
- White41.8% · 1,001
- Two or more races5.4% · 130
- Hispanic or Latino4.3% · 104
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 13
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Westbrooks
Westbrooks 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
#13,155
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,326
+169 bearers (+7.8%)
Per 100,000 0.79
Rank movement Down 124 places
2020
#12,391
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,394
+68 bearers (+2.9%)
Per 100,000 0.80
Rank movement Up 764 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,031 | 2,157 | 0.80 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,155 | 2,326 | 0.79 | +169 bearers (+7.8%) | Down 124 places |
| 2020 | #12,391 | 2,394 | 0.80 | +68 bearers (+2.9%) | Up 764 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 Westbrooks 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 | #13,155 | #12,391 | 5.8% |
| Count | 2,326 | 2,394 | 2.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.79 | 0.80 | 1.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Westbrooks bearers went from 2,326 to 2,394 (+2.9% change). The surname moved up 764 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,155 to #12,391.
FAQ
Westbrooks surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Westbrooks?
Name Census estimates that about 2,745 living Americans carry the surname Westbrooks. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 124,865 residents.
How common is Westbrooks?
Westbrooks ranks #12,391 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.80 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 2,394 people with the surname Westbrooks. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,745), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.8 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.80 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 Westbrooks.
Has Westbrooks become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Westbrooks went from 2,326 recorded bearers to 2,394. That is an increase of 68 (+2.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #13,155 to #12,391.
What does the Census say about the background of Westbrooks?
Among Census respondents with the surname Westbrooks, the largest self-reported group is Black at 47.7%. The next largest groups are White (41.8%) and Two or More Races (5.4%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Westbrooks in the 2020 Census, accounting for 47.7% (1,141 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Westbrooks appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (47.7%), White (41.8%), Two or More Races (5.4%). 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 Westbrooks (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 Westbrooks mean?
A locational surname referring to someone who lived near a western brook or stream. 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 Westbrooks (0.80 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 Westbrooks?
For a quick modern take, check how common the surname Westbrooks is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.