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

Wetherby, 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 Wetherby surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Wetherby in America

Wetherby is the 29740th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Wetherby surname appeared 791 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Wetherby.

We can also compare 2010 data for Wetherby 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 Wetherby

The surname Wetherby originated in Yorkshire, England, during the medieval period. It is a locational surname derived from the town of Wetherby, which lies on the River Wharfe. The name Wetherby itself is believed to have come from the Old English words "wæðer" meaning "ram" and "by" meaning "settlement" or "village," indicating that the town was likely a center for sheep farming.

The earliest recorded instance of the surname Wetherby appears in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379, where a John de Wetherby is listed. This suggests that the surname was already well-established by the late 14th century. In the Domesday Book of 1086, the town of Wetherby is mentioned as "Wedrebi," reflecting the Old English origins of the name.

One notable early bearer of the Wetherby surname was Sir Thomas Wetherby (c. 1490-1554), a member of the English gentry who served as a Justice of the Peace in Yorkshire. He was also a Member of Parliament for the city of York in 1547.

Another prominent figure was Sir Nicholas Wetherby (1556-1624), a wealthy merchant and landowner in Yorkshire. He served as Lord Mayor of York in 1619 and was knighted by King James I in 1617.

In the 17th century, a branch of the Wetherby family emigrated to the American colonies. One of the earliest recorded instances is John Wetherby, who was born in England around 1630 and settled in Massachusetts Bay Colony in the 1650s.

During the English Civil War, a Captain William Wetherby (1610-1684) fought for the Parliamentarian forces under Oliver Cromwell. He later became a prominent figure in the English Commonwealth and served as a member of the Council of State.

In the 18th century, a notable bearer of the name was Sir Edward Wetherby (1712-1786), a British naval officer who rose to the rank of Admiral and served in several conflicts, including the Seven Years' War and the American Revolutionary War.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Wetherby

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

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 Wetherby 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 Wetherby 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 Wetherby was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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