2000
#14,912
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,821
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.68
Rare Last name
Westra
A Dutch toponymic surname indicating a person from the west or western part of a settlement or region.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,246 Americans carry the last name Westra. That puts it at #14,600 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.66 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 152,607 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Westra 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
2.2K
1 in 152,607
Census rank
#14,600
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,959 bearers of the surname Westra in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.66 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14600th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Westra, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%) and Hispanic (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Westra
The surname Westra originates from the Netherlands, specifically the northern province of Friesland. It likely emerged sometime in the 16th or 17th century. The name is derived from the Frisian word "westra," meaning "western," which suggests that the earliest bearers of this surname lived in an area west of a particular town or village.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Westra name can be found in the Dutch archives from the late 16th century. The spelling variations at that time included Westra, Weestra, and Weststra. These variations were likely due to regional dialects and the inconsistent spelling conventions of the time.
The Westra surname has been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One of the earliest known bearers was Pieter Jansz Westra, a Dutch naval officer born in 1597. He played a significant role in the Dutch East India Company's maritime operations in the early 17th century.
Another notable figure was Sytse Westra, a Frisian poet and teacher who lived from 1677 to 1738. His poetry, written in the Frisian language, was instrumental in preserving and promoting the cultural heritage of Friesland during a time when Dutch was becoming the predominant language.
In the 19th century, Tjerk Westra (1831-1911) was a prominent Frisian politician and lawyer. He served as a member of the Provincial States of Friesland and played a crucial role in advocating for the rights and recognition of the Frisian language and culture.
The Westra surname has also been associated with several places in the Netherlands, such as Westra-Ternaardt, a village in the municipality of Littenseradiel, and Westra-Huizum, a village in the municipality of Leeuwarden. These place names likely originated from the presence of families bearing the Westra surname in those areas.
In more recent times, Douwe Westra (1924-2015) was a renowned Frisian writer and journalist. He was best known for his novels and short stories that explored the lives and experiences of the Frisian people, contributing significantly to the preservation of Frisian literature and cultural identity.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Westra
Among Census respondents with the surname Westra, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%) and Hispanic (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Westra 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 Westra surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.0% · 1,842
- Two or more races2.8% · 55
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 38
- Black or African American0.7% · 14
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Westra
Westra 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
#13,874
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,177
+356 bearers (+19.5%)
Per 100,000 0.74
Rank movement Up 1,038 places
2020
#14,600
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,959
-218 bearers (-10.0%)
Per 100,000 0.66
Rank movement Down 726 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,912 | 1,821 | 0.68 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,874 | 2,177 | 0.74 | +356 bearers (+19.5%) | Up 1,038 places |
| 2020 | #14,600 | 1,959 | 0.66 | -218 bearers (-10.0%) | Down 726 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 Westra 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 | #13,874 | #14,600 | -5.2% |
| Count | 2,177 | 1,959 | -10.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.74 | 0.66 | -11.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Westra bearers went from 2,177 to 1,959 (-10.0% change). The surname moved down 726 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,874 to #14,600.
FAQ
Westra surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Westra?
Name Census estimates that about 2,246 living Americans carry the surname Westra. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 152,607 residents.
How common is Westra?
Westra ranks #14,600 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.66 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,959 people with the surname Westra. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,246), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.66 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.66 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Westra.
Has Westra become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Westra went from 2,177 recorded bearers to 1,959. That is a decrease of 218 (-10.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,874 to #14,600.
What does the Census say about the background of Westra?
Among Census respondents with the surname Westra, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%) and Hispanic (1.9%). 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 Westra in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.0% (1,842 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Westra appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.0%), Two or More Races (2.8%), Hispanic (1.9%). 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 Westra (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 Westra mean?
A Dutch toponymic surname indicating a person from the west or western part of a settlement or region. 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 Westra (0.66 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 Westra?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.