2000
#12,764
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,219
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.82
Rare Last name
Westervelt
A Dutch toponymic surname derived from a place near Hilversum, meaning "western field."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,381 Americans carry the last name Westervelt. That puts it at #13,915 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.69 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 143,954 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Westervelt 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
2.4K
1 in 143,954
Census rank
#13,915
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,076 bearers of the surname Westervelt in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.69 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13915th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Westervelt, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Westervelt
The surname Westervelt originates from the Netherlands, with its earliest known roots traced back to the 17th century. It is believed to be derived from the Dutch words "wester" meaning "western" and "veld" meaning "field" or "open area," suggesting that the name may have referred to someone who lived or worked in a western field or meadow.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Westervelt surname can be found in the Dutch Reformed Church records of New Amsterdam (present-day New York City) in the late 1600s. This indicates that the name was likely brought to the American colonies by Dutch settlers during the early days of European colonization.
In the Netherlands, the Westervelt name was concentrated in the provinces of North Holland and South Holland, particularly around the cities of Amsterdam and Rotterdam. Some historical records from this region mention individuals with variations of the spelling, such as Westerveldt, Westervelt, and Westerveld.
One notable figure bearing the Westervelt surname was Jacob Westervelt (1690-1768), a prominent merchant and landowner in colonial New York. He was among the first Westervelt settlers in the Americas and played a significant role in the development of the Dutch community in what is now Brooklyn.
Another historical figure of note was Abraham Westervelt (1753-1835), a Revolutionary War veteran from New Jersey. He served as a private in the Continental Army and later became a respected community leader in his hometown of Hackensack.
In the 19th century, Henry Westervelt (1814-1891) was a prominent lawyer and judge in New York City. He served as a judge in the New York Supreme Court and was known for his expertise in commercial law.
During the same period, Cornelius Westervelt (1828-1903) was a successful businessman and philanthropist from Brooklyn. He made his fortune in the shipping industry and donated generously to various educational and religious institutions in the area.
Lastly, Gerardus Westervelt (1855-1932) was a Dutch-American artist and painter known for his landscape and seascape works. He studied in the Netherlands and later settled in New York, where he gained recognition for his depictions of the Hudson River Valley and Long Island coastline.
While the Westervelt name has its roots in the Netherlands and was initially brought to the Americas by Dutch settlers, it has since spread to various parts of the United States and other countries, with descendants of the early Westervelt families contributing to various fields and industries over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Westervelt
Among Census respondents with the surname Westervelt, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Westervelt 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 Westervelt surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.6% · 1,881
- Two or more races3.8% · 79
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 76
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 18
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 13
- Black or African American0.4% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Westervelt
Westervelt 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
#13,322
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,290
+71 bearers (+3.2%)
Per 100,000 0.78
Rank movement Down 558 places
2020
#13,915
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,076
-214 bearers (-9.3%)
Per 100,000 0.69
Rank movement Down 593 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,764 | 2,219 | 0.82 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,322 | 2,290 | 0.78 | +71 bearers (+3.2%) | Down 558 places |
| 2020 | #13,915 | 2,076 | 0.69 | -214 bearers (-9.3%) | Down 593 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 Westervelt 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 | #13,322 | #13,915 | -4.5% |
| Count | 2,290 | 2,076 | -9.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.78 | 0.69 | -11.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Westervelt bearers went from 2,290 to 2,076 (-9.3% change). The surname moved down 593 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,322 to #13,915.
FAQ
Westervelt surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Westervelt?
Name Census estimates that about 2,381 living Americans carry the surname Westervelt. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 143,954 residents.
How common is Westervelt?
Westervelt ranks #13,915 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.69 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 2,076 people with the surname Westervelt. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,381), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.69 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.69 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 Westervelt.
Has Westervelt become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Westervelt went from 2,290 recorded bearers to 2,076. That is a decrease of 214 (-9.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,322 to #13,915.
What does the Census say about the background of Westervelt?
Among Census respondents with the surname Westervelt, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (3.7%). 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 Westervelt in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.6% (1,881 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Westervelt appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.6%), Two or More Races (3.8%), Hispanic (3.7%). 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 Westervelt (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 Westervelt mean?
A Dutch toponymic surname derived from a place near Hilversum, meaning "western field." 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 Westervelt (0.69 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 people are called Westervelt?
See how many people are called Westervelt on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.