2000
#14,570
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,874
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.69
Rare Last name
Westgate
A locational surname referring to someone who lived near a western gate of a town or village.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,221 Americans carry the last name Westgate. That puts it at #14,717 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.65 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 154,324 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Westgate 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Westgate with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.2K
1 in 154,324
Census rank
#14,717
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,937 bearers of the surname Westgate in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.65 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14717th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Westgate, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Westgate
The surname Westgate is of English origin, derived from the Old English words "west" and "geat," meaning a gate or entrance on the western side of a town or village. It is considered a locational surname, indicating that the earliest bearers of this name likely resided near or by a western gate or entrance.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Westgate can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire, dating back to 1273, where a Richard de Westgate is mentioned. This suggests that the name was already well-established by the 13th century.
During the medieval period, many individuals adopted surnames based on their place of residence, occupation, or physical characteristics. The Westgate surname falls into the category of locational surnames, which were particularly common in England.
In the Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive record of landowners and property holdings in England commissioned by William the Conqueror, there are several references to places with the word "Westgate" in their names, such as Westgate in Cambridgeshire and Westgate in Sussex.
One notable figure bearing the Westgate surname was Sir Thomas Westgate (c. 1456–1508), an English diplomat and member of the Privy Council during the reign of Henry VII. He served as the ambassador to the Netherlands and played a crucial role in negotiating the marriage between Prince Arthur and Catherine of Aragon.
Another individual of historical significance was Jeremiah Westgate (1650–1720), an English Puritan minister who emigrated to America and served as the pastor of the First Baptist Church in Newport, Rhode Island, from 1679 until his death.
In the literary realm, Thomas Westgate (1815–1888) was an English writer and journalist who contributed to various publications, including the Illustrated London News and the Cornhill Magazine.
Robert Westgate (1876–1958) was a British Olympic athlete who competed in the 1908 London Olympics, where he won a silver medal in the high jump event.
Lastly, Sir John Westgate (1905–1987) was a British diplomat and civil servant who served as the Ambassador to the Soviet Union from 1964 to 1967, during a crucial period of the Cold War.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Westgate
Among Census respondents with the surname Westgate, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Westgate 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 Westgate surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.8% · 1,798
- Two or more races3.1% · 61
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 53
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 13
- Black or African American0.6% · 11
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Westgate
Westgate 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
#15,363
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,909
+35 bearers (+1.9%)
Per 100,000 0.65
Rank movement Down 793 places
2020
#14,717
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,937
+28 bearers (+1.5%)
Per 100,000 0.65
Rank movement Up 646 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,570 | 1,874 | 0.69 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,363 | 1,909 | 0.65 | +35 bearers (+1.9%) | Down 793 places |
| 2020 | #14,717 | 1,937 | 0.65 | +28 bearers (+1.5%) | Up 646 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 Westgate 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 | #15,363 | #14,717 | 4.2% |
| Count | 1,909 | 1,937 | 1.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.65 | 0.65 | -0.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Westgate bearers went from 1,909 to 1,937 (+1.5% change). The surname moved up 646 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,363 to #14,717.
FAQ
Westgate surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Westgate?
Name Census estimates that about 2,221 living Americans carry the surname Westgate. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 154,324 residents.
How common is Westgate?
Westgate ranks #14,717 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.65 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 1,937 people with the surname Westgate. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,221), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.65 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.65 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 Westgate.
Has Westgate become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Westgate went from 1,909 recorded bearers to 1,937. That is an increase of 28 (+1.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #15,363 to #14,717.
What does the Census say about the background of Westgate?
Among Census respondents with the surname Westgate, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (2.7%). 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 Westgate in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.8% (1,798 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Westgate appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.8%), Two or More Races (3.1%), Hispanic (2.7%). 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 Westgate (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 Westgate mean?
A locational surname referring to someone who lived near a western gate of a town or village. 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 Westgate (0.65 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 share the surname Westgate?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.