2000
#3,258
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,066
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.73
Uncommon Last name
Westmoreland
From the Old English, referring to someone from the western moorland or moor.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 11,378 Americans carry the last name Westmoreland. That puts it at #3,504 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.32 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 30,124 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Westmoreland 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 Westmoreland with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
11K
1 in 30,124
Census rank
#3,504
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
9.9K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 9,922 bearers of the surname Westmoreland in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.32 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3504th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Westmoreland, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.0%. The next largest groups are Black (17.6%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Westmoreland
The surname Westmoreland is of English origin, derived from the place name Westmorland, which was an ancient county in the northwest of England. The name itself is a combination of the Old English words "west" and "mor", meaning "west" and "moor" respectively, referring to the western moorlands or uplands of the region.
The earliest recorded mention of the place name Westmorland dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it was spelled as "Westmerielandesire". This indicates that the name was well-established in the region by the time of the Norman Conquest in the 11th century.
In the 13th century, the name appeared in various historical documents with spellings such as "Westmerlande" and "Westmerland". One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Westmoreland was Sir Ralph de Westmerland, who lived in the late 12th and early 13th centuries.
During the medieval period, the Westmoreland family held significant influence and land in the county of the same name. One notable member was Ralph Neville, 1st Earl of Westmorland (c. 1364 - 1425), who played a crucial role in the Wars of the Roses and was a close ally of King Henry IV.
Another prominent figure was Charles Neville, 6th Earl of Westmorland (1543 - 1601), who was involved in the Rising of the North, a rebellion against Queen Elizabeth I in 1569. He was eventually pardoned but lost much of his family's lands and influence.
In the 17th century, Mildmay Fane, 2nd Earl of Westmorland (1602 - 1666), was a prominent English peer and Royalist during the English Civil War. He was known for his support of King Charles I and his opposition to Oliver Cromwell's Parliamentarian forces.
The name Westmoreland has also been associated with various place names in England, such as Westmorland County, Westmorland Dales, and the town of Westmorland in Cumbria. These places have contributed to the spread and recognition of the surname throughout the country.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Westmoreland
Among Census respondents with the surname Westmoreland, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.0%. The next largest groups are Black (17.6%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Westmoreland 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 Westmoreland surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White74.0% · 7,340
- Black or African American17.6% · 1,750
- Two or more races4.3% · 428
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 317
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 53
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 34
Timeline
Historical Census data for Westmoreland
Westmoreland 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
#3,430
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,399
+333 bearers (+3.3%)
Per 100,000 3.53
Rank movement Down 172 places
2020
#3,504
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,922
-477 bearers (-4.6%)
Per 100,000 3.32
Rank movement Down 74 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,258 | 10,066 | 3.73 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,430 | 10,399 | 3.53 | +333 bearers (+3.3%) | Down 172 places |
| 2020 | #3,504 | 9,922 | 3.32 | -477 bearers (-4.6%) | Down 74 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 Westmoreland 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 | #3,430 | #3,504 | -2.2% |
| Count | 10,399 | 9,922 | -4.6% |
| Per 100K | 3.53 | 3.32 | -6.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Westmoreland bearers went from 10,399 to 9,922 (-4.6% change). The surname moved down 74 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,430 to #3,504.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Westmoreland
FAQ
Westmoreland surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Westmoreland?
Name Census estimates that about 11,378 living Americans carry the surname Westmoreland. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 30,124 residents.
How common is Westmoreland?
Westmoreland ranks #3,504 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.32 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 9,922 people with the surname Westmoreland. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (11,378), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.32 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.32 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Westmoreland.
Has Westmoreland become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Westmoreland went from 10,399 recorded bearers to 9,922. That is a decrease of 477 (-4.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,430 to #3,504.
What does the Census say about the background of Westmoreland?
Among Census respondents with the surname Westmoreland, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.0%. The next largest groups are Black (17.6%) and Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Westmoreland in the 2020 Census, accounting for 74.0% (7,340 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Westmoreland appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (74.0%), Black (17.6%), Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Westmoreland (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 Westmoreland mean?
From the Old English, referring to someone from the western moorland or moor. 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 Westmoreland (3.32 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 are called Westmoreland?
Find out how many people have the last name Westmoreland on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.