2000
#4,592
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,071
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.62
Rare Last name
Westphal
A German toponymic surname indicating an origin in one of several places named Westphal, meaning "western pale or boundary."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,009 Americans carry the last name Westphal. That puts it at #4,896 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.34 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 42,796 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Westphal 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
8.0K
1 in 42,796
Census rank
#4,896
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,984 bearers of the surname Westphal in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.34 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4896th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Westphal, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Westphal
The surname Westphal originates from Germany, where it first appeared in the early 13th century. It is derived from the Old German words "west" and "fal," meaning "western plain" or "western field." The name likely referred to someone who lived in a western region or worked on western farmlands.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Westphal name was in 1283, when a knight named Konrad Westphal was mentioned in a medieval document from the region of Westphalia, a former territory in present-day North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. This region is thought to be the original homeland of the Westphal family.
In the 14th century, the Westphal name appeared in various German chronicles and records, including the Magdeburg Municipal Archives, which documented a Henneke Westphal in 1348. During this period, the name was also spelled as Westphaell, Westfalen, and Westfal.
One notable Westphal from the 16th century was Johann Westphal (1510-1574), a German Protestant theologian and opponent of Martin Luther's Reformation teachings. He was involved in the Eucharistic controversy and authored several works defending the Lutheran doctrine of the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist.
In the 17th century, the Westphal name spread to other parts of Europe, including the Netherlands and Scandinavia. One prominent individual was Joachim Westphal (1603-1659), a German-Dutch cartographer and engraver known for his highly detailed maps of Europe and the Holy Land.
During the 18th century, Johann Caspar Westphal (1695-1768) was a German composer and organist who served as the Kapellmeister (music director) at the court of Schwerin. He composed several operas and instrumental works, contributing to the development of the German Baroque style.
In the 19th century, the Westphal name gained recognition through the work of Carl Friedrich Westphal (1833-1890), a German physician and neurologist. He made significant contributions to the study of neurology, describing various neurological disorders and reflexes, including the Westphal's sign and Westphal's reflex.
Another notable figure was Johanna Westphal (1832-1905), a German educator and women's rights activist. She founded one of the first girls' secondary schools in Berlin and played a crucial role in promoting equal educational opportunities for women in Germany.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Westphal
Among Census respondents with the surname Westphal, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Westphal 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 Westphal surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.3% · 6,448
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 229
- Two or more races3.1% · 215
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 56
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 19
- Black or African American0.2% · 17
Timeline
Historical Census data for Westphal
Westphal 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
#4,953
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,101
+30 bearers (+0.4%)
Per 100,000 2.41
Rank movement Down 361 places
2020
#4,896
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,984
-117 bearers (-1.6%)
Per 100,000 2.34
Rank movement Up 57 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,592 | 7,071 | 2.62 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,953 | 7,101 | 2.41 | +30 bearers (+0.4%) | Down 361 places |
| 2020 | #4,896 | 6,984 | 2.34 | -117 bearers (-1.6%) | Up 57 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 Westphal 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 | #4,953 | #4,896 | 1.2% |
| Count | 7,101 | 6,984 | -1.6% |
| Per 100K | 2.41 | 2.34 | -3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Westphal bearers went from 7,101 to 6,984 (-1.6% change). The surname moved up 57 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,953 to #4,896.
FAQ
Westphal surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Westphal?
Name Census estimates that about 8,009 living Americans carry the surname Westphal. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 42,796 residents.
How common is Westphal?
Westphal ranks #4,896 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.34 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,984 people with the surname Westphal. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,009), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.34 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.34 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Westphal.
Has Westphal become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Westphal went from 7,101 recorded bearers to 6,984. That is a decrease of 117 (-1.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #4,953 to #4,896.
What does the Census say about the background of Westphal?
Among Census respondents with the surname Westphal, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Westphal in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.3% (6,448 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Westphal appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.3%), Hispanic (3.3%), Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Westphal (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 Westphal mean?
A German toponymic surname indicating an origin in one of several places named Westphal, meaning "western pale or boundary." 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 Westphal (2.34 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 surname Westphal?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.