2000
#14,091
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,960
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.73
Rare Last name
Westby
A locational surname referring to any of several places named Westby in England, derived from Old Norse for "western settlement."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,214 Americans carry the last name Westby. That puts it at #14,765 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.65 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 154,812 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Westby 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 Westby with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.2K
1 in 154,812
Census rank
#14,765
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,931 bearers of the surname Westby in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.65 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14765th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Westby, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.4%. The next largest groups are Black (8.1%) and Hispanic (5.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Westby
The surname Westby originated in England, specifically in the northern region of Yorkshire. It derives from the Old Norse words "vestr" meaning west and "by" meaning a town or village, indicating that the name likely referred to someone who lived in a western settlement or village.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Westby appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of landholdings and resources ordered by William the Conqueror. The entry mentions a place called "Westoby" in the East Riding of Yorkshire.
During the medieval period, the name was often spelled in various ways, such as Westeby, Westoby, and Westeby, reflecting regional variations and scribal inconsistencies in record-keeping. The name was also associated with certain place names, such as Westby-with-Plumptons in Lancashire and Westby in Yorkshire.
One notable early bearer of the name was John de Westby, who lived in the 13th century and held lands in Lancashire. Another was William Westby, a prominent merchant and landowner from Yorkshire, who lived in the late 14th century.
In the 16th century, a branch of the Westby family settled in Ireland, where they became prominent landowners and politicians. One member of this branch was Ralph Westby, who served as a Member of Parliament for County Meath in the early 17th century.
Another notable figure was Thomas Westby, a Jesuit priest born in Lancashire in 1674. He played a significant role in the Catholic community during the turbulent times of the English Reformation.
In the 18th century, John Westby, born in 1737 in Yorkshire, was a prominent mathematician and astronomer who made contributions to the field of celestial mechanics.
Moving into the 19th century, George Westby, born in 1807 in Northumberland, was a renowned landscape painter and etcher, known for his depictions of rural English scenes.
While the surname Westby is relatively uncommon, it has a rich history rooted in the northern regions of England, with branches spreading to other parts of the British Isles over the centuries. The name's origin reflects the settlement patterns and linguistic influences of the Anglo-Saxon and Norse populations that shaped the landscapes and communities of medieval England.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Westby
Among Census respondents with the surname Westby, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.4%. The next largest groups are Black (8.1%) and Hispanic (5.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Westby 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 Westby surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White81.4% · 1,571
- Black or African American8.1% · 156
- Hispanic or Latino5.9% · 114
- Two or more races3.4% · 66
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 23
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Westby
Westby 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
#14,706
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,021
+61 bearers (+3.1%)
Per 100,000 0.69
Rank movement Down 615 places
2020
#14,765
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,931
-90 bearers (-4.5%)
Per 100,000 0.65
Rank movement Down 59 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,091 | 1,960 | 0.73 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,706 | 2,021 | 0.69 | +61 bearers (+3.1%) | Down 615 places |
| 2020 | #14,765 | 1,931 | 0.65 | -90 bearers (-4.5%) | Down 59 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 Westby 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 | #14,706 | #14,765 | -0.4% |
| Count | 2,021 | 1,931 | -4.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.69 | 0.65 | -6.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Westby bearers went from 2,021 to 1,931 (-4.5% change). The surname moved down 59 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,706 to #14,765.
FAQ
Westby surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Westby?
Name Census estimates that about 2,214 living Americans carry the surname Westby. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 154,812 residents.
How common is Westby?
Westby ranks #14,765 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.65 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 1,931 people with the surname Westby. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,214), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.65 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.65 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 Westby.
Has Westby become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Westby went from 2,021 recorded bearers to 1,931. That is a decrease of 90 (-4.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,706 to #14,765.
What does the Census say about the background of Westby?
Among Census respondents with the surname Westby, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.4%. The next largest groups are Black (8.1%) and Hispanic (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 Westby in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.4% (1,571 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Westby appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (81.4%), Black (8.1%), Hispanic (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 Westby (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 Westby mean?
A locational surname referring to any of several places named Westby in England, derived from Old Norse for "western settlement." 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 Westby (0.65 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 Americans have the surname Westby?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.