2000
#13,165
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,129
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.79
Rare Last name
Westrick
A German occupational surname derived from the Middle High German word "westaere," meaning a cloth dyer or dresser.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,136 Americans carry the last name Westrick. That puts it at #15,186 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.62 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 160,466 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Westrick 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
2.1K
1 in 160,466
Census rank
#15,186
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,863 bearers of the surname Westrick in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.62 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15186th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Westrick, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.4%) and Hispanic (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Westrick
The surname Westrick is believed to have originated in England, with its earliest recorded use dating back to the medieval period. The name is thought to be derived from the Old English words "west" and "ric," which together mean "west kingdom" or "west realm." This suggests that the name may have initially been a descriptive term for someone who lived in or came from a western region or territory.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Westrick can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of land and property ownership in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The Domesday Book mentions a landowner named Westrick in the county of Lincolnshire.
During the Middle Ages, the name Westrick appeared in various forms, including Westriche, Westeryk, and Westrige, reflecting the variations in spelling and pronunciation that were common at the time. The name was particularly prevalent in the counties of Lincolnshire, Yorkshire, and Northumberland, where many families bearing the surname lived and worked as farmers, craftsmen, and merchants.
One notable figure in the history of the Westrick name was Sir John Westrick, a 14th-century knight who fought alongside Edward III in the Hundred Years' War against France. Sir John Westrick was born in 1320 and died in 1389.
In the 16th century, the Westrick family established roots in the town of Westrick, located in the county of Yorkshire. This place name likely influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname over time, as it became more closely associated with the geographic location.
Another prominent individual with the surname Westrick was William Westrick, a 17th-century merchant and landowner born in 1622 in Lincolnshire. William Westrick was known for his successful trading ventures and his involvement in local affairs.
During the 18th century, a branch of the Westrick family settled in the county of Northumberland, where they became respected members of the local gentry. One notable figure from this period was Edward Westrick (1745-1822), a wealthy landowner and magistrate who played a significant role in the governance of the region.
In the 19th century, the Westrick name continued to be associated with various professions and social classes, from farmers and artisans to professionals and scholars. One example is Professor Alfred Westrick (1830-1904), a renowned academic and linguist who taught at Oxford University and made significant contributions to the study of ancient languages.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Westrick
Among Census respondents with the surname Westrick, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.4%) and Hispanic (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Westrick 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 Westrick surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.5% · 1,742
- Two or more races2.4% · 44
- Hispanic or Latino2.3% · 42
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 20
- Black or African American0.5% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Westrick
Westrick 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
#11,560
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,719
+590 bearers (+27.7%)
Per 100,000 0.92
Rank movement Up 1,605 places
2020
#15,186
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,863
-856 bearers (-31.5%)
Per 100,000 0.62
Rank movement Down 3,626 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,165 | 2,129 | 0.79 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,560 | 2,719 | 0.92 | +590 bearers (+27.7%) | Up 1,605 places |
| 2020 | #15,186 | 1,863 | 0.62 | -856 bearers (-31.5%) | Down 3,626 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 Westrick 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 | #11,560 | #15,186 | -31.4% |
| Count | 2,719 | 1,863 | -31.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.92 | 0.62 | -32.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Westrick bearers went from 2,719 to 1,863 (-31.5% change). The surname moved down 3,626 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,560 to #15,186.
FAQ
Westrick surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Westrick?
Name Census estimates that about 2,136 living Americans carry the surname Westrick. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 160,466 residents.
How common is Westrick?
Westrick ranks #15,186 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.62 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 1,863 people with the surname Westrick. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,136), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.62 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.62 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 Westrick.
Has Westrick become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Westrick went from 2,719 recorded bearers to 1,863. That is a decrease of 856 (-31.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,560 to #15,186.
What does the Census say about the background of Westrick?
Among Census respondents with the surname Westrick, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.4%) and Hispanic (2.3%). 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 Westrick in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.5% (1,742 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Westrick appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.5%), Two or More Races (2.4%), Hispanic (2.3%). 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 Westrick (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 Westrick mean?
A German occupational surname derived from the Middle High German word "westaere," meaning a cloth dyer or dresser. 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 Westrick (0.62 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 share the surname Westrick?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.