2000
#121,780
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 131
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Westlie
A surname indicating geographic origin from a western region or location.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 128 Americans carry the last name Westlie. That puts it at #147,954 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,677,768 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Westlie 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
128
1 in 2,677,768
Census rank
#147,954
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
112
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 112 bearers of the surname Westlie in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147954th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Westlie, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Westlie
The surname Westlie is believed to have originated in Norway during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old Norse words "vestr" meaning "west" and "li" meaning "meadow" or "clearing." This suggests that the name may have referred to someone who lived in a western meadow or clearing.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Westlie can be found in the Diplomatarium Norvegicum, a collection of medieval Norwegian diplomatic documents dating back to the 13th century. In this collection, there is a reference to a man named Thorstein Westlie who lived in the region of Trøndelag in the late 1200s.
During the Viking Age, many Norwegians ventured out and settled in various parts of the British Isles, including the Shetland Islands and the Orkney Islands. It is possible that some individuals with the surname Westlie may have originated from these regions, as the name bears similarities to place names found in these areas.
In the late 16th century, a man named Nils Westlie was born in the village of Lom, Norway. He is notable for being one of the first recorded individuals to bear the surname Westlie in its modern spelling.
Another notable bearer of the surname was Hans Westlie, a Norwegian farmer and landowner who lived in the early 18th century. He is mentioned in several land records and legal documents from that time period.
In the 19th century, a woman named Ingeborg Westlie gained recognition for her work as a traditional Norwegian folk singer and storyteller. She was born in 1825 and played a significant role in preserving and promoting the cultural heritage of her region.
During the latter half of the 19th century, many Norwegians emigrated to the United States, and it is likely that individuals with the surname Westlie were among those who made the journey. Records from this time period may provide further information about the spread of the name to other parts of the world.
Throughout its history, the surname Westlie has maintained its connection to its Norwegian roots, reflecting the geographic and cultural origins of those who bore this name in the past.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Westlie
Among Census respondents with the surname Westlie, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Westlie 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 Westlie surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.1% · 102
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 4
- Two or more races3.6% · 4
- Black or African American1.8% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Westlie
Westlie 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
#137,327
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 122
-9 bearers (-6.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 15,547 places
2020
#147,954
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
-10 bearers (-8.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 10,627 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #121,780 | 131 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #137,327 | 122 | 0.04 | -9 bearers (-6.9%) | Down 15,547 places |
| 2020 | #147,954 | 112 | 0.04 | -10 bearers (-8.2%) | Down 10,627 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 Westlie 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 | #137,327 | #147,954 | -7.7% |
| Count | 122 | 112 | -8.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Westlie bearers went from 122 to 112 (-8.2% change). The surname moved down 10,627 positions in the national ranking, going from #137,327 to #147,954.
FAQ
Westlie surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Westlie?
Name Census estimates that about 128 living Americans carry the surname Westlie. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,677,768 residents.
How common is Westlie?
Westlie ranks #147,954 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 112 people with the surname Westlie. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (128), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Westlie.
Has Westlie become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Westlie went from 122 recorded bearers to 112. That is a decrease of 10 (-8.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #137,327 to #147,954.
What does the Census say about the background of Westlie?
Among Census respondents with the surname Westlie, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Westlie in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.1% (102 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Westlie appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.1%), Hispanic (3.6%), Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Westlie (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 Westlie mean?
A surname indicating geographic origin from a western region or location. 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 Westlie (0.04 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 last name Westlie?
See how common the surname Westlie is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.