2000
#2,564
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,968
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.81
Uncommon Last name
Westfall
A locational surname referring to someone who lived west of a waterfall or steep slope.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 14,438 Americans carry the last name Westfall. That puts it at #2,787 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.21 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 23,740 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Westfall 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
14K
1 in 23,740
Census rank
#2,787
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
13K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 12,591 bearers of the surname Westfall in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.21 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2787th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Westfall, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Westfall
The surname Westfall is of English origin, deriving from a locational name indicating someone who hailed from a western slope or hillside. It is composed of the Old English elements 'west' meaning west and 'fall' meaning a slope or hillside.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as 'Westuuelle' in Cambridgeshire. This early spelling variation highlights the locational roots of the surname.
By the 13th century, the name had evolved to its more recognizable form, with records showing instances such as Roger de Westwelle in Somerset in 1275 and William de Westfale in Yorkshire in 1297.
Westfall became a prominent name in various parts of England, particularly in the northern counties. Some notable bearers of the name include John Westfall, a cloth merchant from York who lived in the late 15th century, and Thomas Westfall, a landowner in Lancashire during the 16th century.
As the name spread across England, it also made its way to Scotland and Ireland. One of the earliest recorded instances in Scotland is that of Robert Westfall, a merchant in Edinburgh in the late 16th century.
In the 17th century, the Westfall surname gained prominence in Ireland, particularly in County Antrim. One notable bearer was John Westfall, a Protestant landowner who settled in the region during the Plantation of Ulster in the early 1600s.
As people began migrating to the American colonies in the 18th century, the Westfall name traveled across the Atlantic. One of the earliest recorded instances in America is that of William Westfall, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1738 from County Antrim, Ireland.
Throughout history, the Westfall surname has been associated with various notable figures. These include John Westfall (1616-1688), an English clergyman and scholar who served as the Rector of Boughton Malherbe in Kent, and Jacob Westfall (1720-1799), a pioneer and early settler in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia.
Other notable bearers of the Westfall name include Robert Westfall (1808-1870), an American businessman and politician who served as a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly, and John Westfall (1833-1905), a Canadian businessman and politician who served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Westfall
Among Census respondents with the surname Westfall, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Westfall 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 Westfall surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.7% · 11,422
- Two or more races3.7% · 464
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 417
- Black or African American1.0% · 128
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 111
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 49
Timeline
Historical Census data for Westfall
Westfall 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
#2,758
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,079
+111 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 4.43
Rank movement Down 194 places
2020
#2,787
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,591
-488 bearers (-3.7%)
Per 100,000 4.21
Rank movement Down 29 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,564 | 12,968 | 4.81 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,758 | 13,079 | 4.43 | +111 bearers (+0.9%) | Down 194 places |
| 2020 | #2,787 | 12,591 | 4.21 | -488 bearers (-3.7%) | Down 29 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 Westfall 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 | #2,758 | #2,787 | -1.1% |
| Count | 13,079 | 12,591 | -3.7% |
| Per 100K | 4.43 | 4.21 | -4.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Westfall bearers went from 13,079 to 12,591 (-3.7% change). The surname moved down 29 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,758 to #2,787.
FAQ
Westfall surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Westfall?
Name Census estimates that about 14,438 living Americans carry the surname Westfall. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 23,740 residents.
How common is Westfall?
Westfall ranks #2,787 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.21 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 12,591 people with the surname Westfall. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (14,438), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.21 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.21 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Westfall.
Has Westfall become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Westfall went from 13,079 recorded bearers to 12,591. That is a decrease of 488 (-3.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,758 to #2,787.
What does the Census say about the background of Westfall?
Among Census respondents with the surname Westfall, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (3.3%). 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 Westfall in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.7% (11,422 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Westfall appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.7%), Two or More Races (3.7%), Hispanic (3.3%). 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 Westfall (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 Westfall mean?
A locational surname referring to someone who lived west of a waterfall or steep slope. 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 Westfall (4.21 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 have the surname Westfall?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.