2000
#144,908
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Westenburg
A locational surname referring to someone from a town or village with a name containing the element "West."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131 Americans carry the last name Westenburg. That puts it at #146,495 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,616,445 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Westenburg 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
131
1 in 2,616,445
Census rank
#146,495
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
114
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 114 bearers of the surname Westenburg in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 146495th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Westenburg, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Westenburg
The surname Westenburg is of German origin, derived from the old German words "westen" meaning "west" and "burg" meaning "fortress" or "castle." It likely emerged in the early medieval period, around the 9th or 10th century, in reference to a fortified settlement or castle located in the western region of a particular area.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name can be found in the Codex Traditionum Westenniensis, a medieval manuscript from the Benedictine abbey of Wessobrunn in Bavaria, dating back to the 8th century. This document contains references to individuals bearing the name Westenburg or variations thereof, suggesting the name's long-standing presence in the region.
In the 12th century, a nobleman named Konrad von Westenburg is recorded as having been granted lands and titles in the Rhineland region by Emperor Frederick Barbarossa. This Konrad von Westenburg (c. 1130-1190) is considered one of the earliest notable individuals to bear the surname.
During the 14th century, a merchant family known as the Westenburgs gained prominence in the city of Nuremberg, which was a major center of trade and commerce in the Holy Roman Empire. One member of this family, Hans Westenburg (c. 1320-1389), is said to have been instrumental in establishing trade routes between Nuremberg and the Baltic regions.
In the 16th century, a scholar and humanist named Johannes Westenburg (1509-1561) gained recognition for his contributions to the study of classical literature and his translations of Greek and Latin texts. He was born in the town of Westenburg, which likely derived its name from the same linguistic roots as the surname.
Another notable figure was the German military officer and statesman, Wilhelm von Westenburg (1768-1834), who served under Napoleon Bonaparte and later became a diplomat in the service of the Kingdom of Prussia. He played a crucial role in the negotiations that led to the Congress of Vienna in 1815.
Over the centuries, the surname Westenburg has been associated with various locations and place names, such as Westenburg in Saxony-Anhalt, Westenburg in Lower Saxony, and Westenburg in Bavaria, among others. These place names likely originated from the same linguistic roots as the surname, reflecting the historical presence of fortified settlements or castles in those areas.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Westenburg
Among Census respondents with the surname Westenburg, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Westenburg 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 Westenburg surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.2% · 104
- Hispanic or Latino4.4% · 5
- Two or more races2.6% · 3
- Black or African American1.8% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Westenburg
Westenburg 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
#140,157
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
+14 bearers (+13.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 4,751 places
2020
#146,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
-5 bearers (-4.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 6,338 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #144,908 | 105 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #140,157 | 119 | 0.04 | +14 bearers (+13.3%) | Up 4,751 places |
| 2020 | #146,495 | 114 | 0.04 | -5 bearers (-4.2%) | Down 6,338 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 Westenburg 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 | #140,157 | #146,495 | -4.5% |
| Count | 119 | 114 | -4.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Westenburg bearers went from 119 to 114 (-4.2% change). The surname moved down 6,338 positions in the national ranking, going from #140,157 to #146,495.
FAQ
Westenburg surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Westenburg?
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the surname Westenburg. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,616,445 residents.
How common is Westenburg?
Westenburg ranks #146,495 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 114 people with the surname Westenburg. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (131), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Westenburg.
Has Westenburg become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Westenburg went from 119 recorded bearers to 114. That is a decrease of 5 (-4.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #140,157 to #146,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Westenburg?
Among Census respondents with the surname Westenburg, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Westenburg in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.2% (104 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Westenburg appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.2%), Hispanic (4.4%), Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Westenburg (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 Westenburg mean?
A locational surname referring to someone from a town or village with a name containing the element "West." 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 Westenburg (0.04 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 Westenburg?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.