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

Western, 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 Western surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Western in America

Western is the 11395th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Western surname appeared 2,767 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Western.

We can also compare 2010 data for Western 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 Western

The surname Western has its origins in England, where it first emerged in the medieval period as a locational name. It derived from the Old English words "west" and "ærn," which together meant "westerner" or "someone from the west." This name likely referred to people who had migrated from the western regions of the country or had lived in an area considered to be in the west.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Western name can be found in the Hundredorum Rolls of Oxfordshire, dated around 1273. This document mentions a person named William le Western, suggesting the surname was already in use by the late 13th century.

In the 14th century, the Western surname appeared in various records across southern England, particularly in counties like Dorset, Somerset, and Devon. For example, the Subsidy Rolls of Somerset from 1327 list a John Western among the taxpayers.

The name Western has also been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One such person was Sir Thomas Western (1577-1641), an English landowner and Member of Parliament who played a role in the events leading up to the English Civil War.

Another prominent figure bearing this surname was Thomas Western (1677-1753), a British politician and colonial administrator who served as the 14th Governor of the Province of New Jersey from 1723 to 1727.

In the literary world, the Western name is represented by Thomas Western (1615-1679), an English poet and playwright who wrote several works, including the play "The Pardon’d Lullaby."

Additionally, the Western surname has been linked to place names in England, such as Western Underwood, a village in Buckinghamshire, and Western Park, a suburb of Leicester. These locations likely derived their names from the Western surname or vice versa.

Other notable individuals bearing the Western surname include Sir Thomas Western (1677-1765), a British naval officer who served during the War of the Austrian Succession, and John Western (1590-1659), an English clergyman and author who wrote religious works and sermons.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Western

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

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

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Western, please contact us.

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