Find out how popular the last name Weston is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Weston.

Weston, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Weston surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Weston in America

Weston is the 1380th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Weston surname appeared 25,637 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 9 people would have the surname Weston.

We can also compare 2010 data for Weston to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Weston

The surname Weston originated in England, deriving from the Old English words "west" and "tun," meaning "west town" or "western settlement." It likely emerged as a locational name during the Anglo-Saxon period, referring to individuals who hailed from places named Weston.

The earliest known record of the name appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is listed as "Westun" and "Westone." This seminal text, commissioned by William the Conqueror, documented landholders and settlements throughout England and parts of Wales.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname was Roger de Weston, who lived in the late 12th century and held lands in Staffordshire. Another notable bearer was Sir John Weston (c. 1515-1573), a member of Parliament and a prominent figure during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.

In the 14th century, Thomas Weston (c. 1350-1419) served as the Lord Chancellor of Ireland from 1386 to 1388. He played a significant role in the governance of the lordship during the latter part of the Hundred Years' War.

During the English Civil War, Richard Weston (1591-1652) was a prominent Royalist who served as the Earl of Portland and Lord High Treasurer under King Charles I. He was also a key figure in the marriage negotiations between Prince Charles and the Spanish Infanta.

In the realm of literature, Edward Weston (1566-1635) was an English poet and writer who published various works in the early 17th century, including "The Parlement of Birds" and "The Courtier's Soliloqvie."

Over the centuries, the surname Weston has been associated with numerous places across England, including villages, towns, and hamlets bearing the name. These place names likely originated from the same Old English roots as the surname itself.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Weston

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Weston.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Weston was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Weston has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Weston was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Weston, please contact us.

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