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

Westerman, 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 Westerman surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Westerman in America

Westerman is the 6620th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Westerman surname appeared 5,117 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Westerman.

We can also compare 2010 data for Westerman 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 Westerman

The surname Westerman originated in England, and its roots can be traced back to the 13th century. It is a locational name derived from the Old English words "west" and "ern," meaning "a person from the western arn or dwelling." The name was likely given to someone who lived in a western part of a town or village.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Westerman can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex, dating back to 1296, where it is listed as "Adam Westerman." This suggests that the name was already well-established in the southern counties of England by the late 13th century.

The Westerman name is also mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1379, indicating its presence in the northern regions of England during the 14th century. The spelling variations at the time included Westerman, Westerman, and Westremane.

In the 15th century, the name appears in the records of the Guild of St. George in Norwich, where a John Westerman is listed as a member in 1452. This provides evidence of the name's spread across different parts of England during the medieval period.

Noteworthy historical figures bearing the surname Westerman include Sir John Westerman (1545-1612), an English diplomat and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Rye in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. Another prominent individual was Thomas Westerman (1673-1744), an English clergyman and author who wrote several theological works.

During the 18th century, the Westerman name gained recognition through the achievements of Benjamin Westerman (1720-1785), a successful merchant and banker in London. His son, William Westerman (1758-1828), followed in his footsteps and became a prominent figure in the City of London's financial circles.

In the 19th century, Charles Westerman (1834-1903) made a significant contribution to the field of horticulture as the founder of the Westerman Nursery in Berkshire, which specialized in growing ornamental trees and shrubs.

Other notable individuals with the Westerman surname include Sir Richard Westerman (1890-1967), a British military officer who served in both World Wars and was awarded the Distinguished Service Order, and Dolf Westerman (1919-1999), a Dutch composer and conductor known for his work in film and television scores.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Westerman

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

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

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