2000
#14,030
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,972
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.73
Rare Last name
Westley
From a place name meaning "westerly clearing or meadow" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,191 Americans carry the last name Westley. That puts it at #14,878 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.64 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 156,437 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Westley 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 Westley with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.2K
1 in 156,437
Census rank
#14,878
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,911 bearers of the surname Westley in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.64 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14878th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Westley, the largest self-reported group is White at 48.9%. The next largest groups are Black (40.4%) and Two or More Races (5.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Westley
The surname Westley is of English origin and dates back to the medieval period. It is a locational name derived from the Old English words "west" and "leah," meaning a western clearing or meadow. The name most likely originated in areas of England where there were settlements or landmarks situated in western meadows or clearings.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Westley can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of landowners and their properties commissioned by William the Conqueror. Several individuals with variations of the name, such as Westle and Westlei, were listed as landowners or tenants in counties like Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire.
During the 13th and 14th centuries, the name started appearing more frequently in various records and documents. In 1273, a Richard de Westley was mentioned in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire, which were administrative records of landholdings. The "de" prefix indicated that the family was from a specific location called Westley.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals with the surname Westley. One of the earliest was Sir John Westley (c.1360-1423), who served as the Lord Mayor of London in 1409 and 1416. Another prominent figure was Thomas Westley (1674-1744), an English clergyman and writer who authored several religious works.
In the 18th century, John Westley (1714-1788) was a renowned Methodist minister and the older brother of the renowned evangelist John Wesley (1703-1791), the founder of the Methodist movement. John Westley played a crucial role in the early spread of Methodism in England.
During the 19th century, William Westley (1833-1899) was a notable English architect and surveyor responsible for designing several buildings in London, including the Royal Dramatic College and the Belgravia Chapel.
Another individual of note was Sir Benjamin Westley (1865-1938), a British businessman and philanthropist who founded the manufacturing company Westley Richards & Co., which produced firearms and sporting goods. He was knighted in 1926 for his contributions to industry and charitable works.
The surname Westley has a long and rich history, originating from a locational description in medieval England and appearing in various historical records. While the name may have evolved in spelling over time, it has been associated with notable figures across different fields, reflecting the diverse backgrounds of those who bore this surname throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Westley
Among Census respondents with the surname Westley, the largest self-reported group is White at 48.9%. The next largest groups are Black (40.4%) and Two or More Races (5.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Westley 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 Westley surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White48.9% · 934
- Black or African American40.4% · 772
- Two or more races5.4% · 103
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 59
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.6% · 31
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Westley
Westley 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
#14,076
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,137
+165 bearers (+8.4%)
Per 100,000 0.72
Rank movement Down 46 places
2020
#14,878
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,911
-226 bearers (-10.6%)
Per 100,000 0.64
Rank movement Down 802 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,030 | 1,972 | 0.73 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,076 | 2,137 | 0.72 | +165 bearers (+8.4%) | Down 46 places |
| 2020 | #14,878 | 1,911 | 0.64 | -226 bearers (-10.6%) | Down 802 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 Westley 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 | #14,076 | #14,878 | -5.7% |
| Count | 2,137 | 1,911 | -10.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.72 | 0.64 | -11.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Westley bearers went from 2,137 to 1,911 (-10.6% change). The surname moved down 802 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,076 to #14,878.
FAQ
Westley surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Westley?
Name Census estimates that about 2,191 living Americans carry the surname Westley. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 156,437 residents.
How common is Westley?
Westley ranks #14,878 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.64 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 1,911 people with the surname Westley. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,191), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.64 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.64 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 Westley.
Has Westley become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Westley went from 2,137 recorded bearers to 1,911. That is a decrease of 226 (-10.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,076 to #14,878.
What does the Census say about the background of Westley?
Among Census respondents with the surname Westley, the largest self-reported group is White at 48.9%. The next largest groups are Black (40.4%) and Two or More Races (5.4%). 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 Westley in the 2020 Census, accounting for 48.9% (934 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Westley appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (48.9%), Black (40.4%), Two or More Races (5.4%). 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 Westley (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 Westley mean?
From a place name meaning "westerly clearing or meadow" in Old English. 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 Westley (0.64 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 common is the surname Westley?
See how many people are called Westley on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.