2000
#14,831
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,834
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.68
Rare Last name
Westendorf
A habitational name for someone from a place called Westendorf, likely from western Germany.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,082 Americans carry the last name Westendorf. That puts it at #15,519 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.61 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 164,627 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Westendorf 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
2.1K
1 in 164,627
Census rank
#15,519
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,816 bearers of the surname Westendorf in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.61 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15519th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Westendorf, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Westendorf
The surname Westendorf originated in Germany, with its earliest known records dating back to the 13th century. The name is derived from the Old German words "westen" and "dorf," which translate to "western village" or "western hamlet." This suggests that the name likely originated from a specific location or region in western Germany.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Westendorf can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Brandenburgensis, a collection of historical documents from the Margraviate of Brandenburg, which mentions a "Johannes de Westendorp" in 1295. Additionally, the name appears in various medieval records and manuscripts across different regions of Germany, indicating its widespread use during those times.
The name Westendorf has also been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One such figure was Johann Wilhelm Westendorf, a German theologian and professor of philosophy who lived from 1605 to 1684. Another prominent bearer of the name was Johann Theodor Westendorf, a 19th-century German philologist and Egyptologist, born in 1808 and known for his contributions to the study of the ancient Egyptian language.
In the 18th century, Johann Gottlieb Westendorf (1711-1788) was a renowned German composer and organist, known for his works in the Baroque style. Furthermore, Friedrich Westendorf (1832-1905) was a German architect who designed notable buildings in Berlin, including the Reichsbank and the Reichspatentamt.
Another notable figure was Karl Friedrich Westendorf (1834-1899), a German historian and author who specialized in the history of the Reformation and the Thirty Years' War. His works, such as "Die Reformatoren und ihre Gegner" (The Reformers and Their Opponents), provided valuable insights into that period of European history.
The surname Westendorf has a rich historical background, originating in Germany and reflecting the geographic origins of its bearers. While its roots can be traced back to the 13th century, the name has been carried by notable individuals across various fields, contributing to its enduring legacy.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Westendorf
Among Census respondents with the surname Westendorf, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Westendorf 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 Westendorf surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.7% · 1,683
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 64
- Two or more races2.8% · 50
- Black or African American0.6% · 10
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 7
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Westendorf
Westendorf 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
#15,527
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,885
+51 bearers (+2.8%)
Per 100,000 0.64
Rank movement Down 696 places
2020
#15,519
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,816
-69 bearers (-3.7%)
Per 100,000 0.61
Rank movement Up 8 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,831 | 1,834 | 0.68 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,527 | 1,885 | 0.64 | +51 bearers (+2.8%) | Down 696 places |
| 2020 | #15,519 | 1,816 | 0.61 | -69 bearers (-3.7%) | Up 8 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 Westendorf 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 | #15,527 | #15,519 | 0.1% |
| Count | 1,885 | 1,816 | -3.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.64 | 0.61 | -5.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Westendorf bearers went from 1,885 to 1,816 (-3.7% change). The surname moved up 8 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,527 to #15,519.
FAQ
Westendorf surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Westendorf?
Name Census estimates that about 2,082 living Americans carry the surname Westendorf. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 164,627 residents.
How common is Westendorf?
Westendorf ranks #15,519 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.61 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 1,816 people with the surname Westendorf. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,082), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.61 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.61 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 Westendorf.
Has Westendorf become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Westendorf went from 1,885 recorded bearers to 1,816. That is a decrease of 69 (-3.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #15,527 to #15,519.
What does the Census say about the background of Westendorf?
Among Census respondents with the surname Westendorf, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Westendorf in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.7% (1,683 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Westendorf appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.7%), Hispanic (3.5%), Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Westendorf (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 Westendorf mean?
A habitational name for someone from a place called Westendorf, likely from western Germany. 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 Westendorf (0.61 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 common is the surname Westendorf?
You can see how many Americans have the surname Westendorf on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.