2000
#129,619
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Westlin
A surname derived from a place name indicating someone from a western location.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 117 Americans carry the last name Westlin. That puts it at #154,755 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,929,524 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Westlin 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
117
1 in 2,929,524
Census rank
#154,755
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
102
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 102 bearers of the surname Westlin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154755th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Westlin, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Westlin
The surname WESTLIN is of English origin and dates back to the late medieval period, around the 13th century. It is believed to have originated in the regions of Northumberland and County Durham, in the north-east of England. The name is derived from the Old English words "west" and "lin," meaning "western" and "pool" or "stream," respectively.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the WESTLIN surname can be found in the 1327 Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire, where a Richard de Westlyn is mentioned. This suggests that the name may have had variations in spelling during its early history, possibly influenced by regional dialects or scribal errors.
In the 15th century, the WESTLIN name appears in the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in Yorkshire, where a John Westlyne is listed as a tenant. This provides evidence of the surname's presence in the area during this period.
The WESTLIN surname is also associated with several place names in England, such as Westlinton in Northumberland and Westlinton Hill in County Durham. These place names may have influenced the formation of the surname or vice versa, as it was common for people to adopt surnames based on their place of origin.
One notable individual bearing the WESTLIN surname was Robert Westlin (c. 1553-1634), an English lawyer and Member of Parliament for Northumberland in the early 17th century. Another was William Westlin (1701-1776), a prominent merchant and landowner from County Durham.
In the 18th century, the WESTLIN name appears in the parish records of St. Mary's Church in Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, where several members of the family are recorded as having lived and been baptized or buried.
Other individuals of note with the WESTLIN surname include:
1. John Westlin (1825-1897), an English educator and headmaster of Ackworth School in Yorkshire.
2. Elizabeth Westlin (1860-1938), a British writer and poet known for her works on nature and rural life.
3. Thomas Westlin (1876-1957), an English businessman and philanthropist who founded the Westlin Charitable Trust.
4. Margaret Westlin (1915-2002), a British artist and sculptor known for her abstract works.
5. David Westlin (born 1972), a contemporary English author and historian specializing in the medieval period.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Westlin
Among Census respondents with the surname Westlin, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Westlin 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 Westlin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.3% · 86
- Hispanic or Latino8.8% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native3.9% · 4
- Black or African American2.0% · 2
- Two or more races1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Westlin
Westlin 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
#128,249
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 133
+12 bearers (+9.9%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Up 1,370 places
2020
#154,755
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
-31 bearers (-23.3%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 26,506 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #129,619 | 121 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #128,249 | 133 | 0.05 | +12 bearers (+9.9%) | Up 1,370 places |
| 2020 | #154,755 | 102 | 0.03 | -31 bearers (-23.3%) | Down 26,506 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 Westlin 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 | #128,249 | #154,755 | -20.7% |
| Count | 133 | 102 | -23.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.03 | -31.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Westlin bearers went from 133 to 102 (-23.3% change). The surname moved down 26,506 positions in the national ranking, going from #128,249 to #154,755.
FAQ
Westlin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Westlin?
Name Census estimates that about 117 living Americans carry the surname Westlin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,929,524 residents.
How common is Westlin?
Westlin ranks #154,755 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 102 people with the surname Westlin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (117), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Westlin.
Has Westlin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Westlin went from 133 recorded bearers to 102. That is a decrease of 31 (-23.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #128,249 to #154,755.
What does the Census say about the background of Westlin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Westlin, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (3.9%). 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 Westlin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.3% (86 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Westlin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.3%), Hispanic (8.8%), American Indian/Alaska Native (3.9%). 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 Westlin (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 Westlin mean?
A surname derived from a place name indicating someone from a western 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 Westlin (0.03 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 Americans have the surname Westlin?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.