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

Wethington, 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 Wethington surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Wethington in America

Wethington is the 9618th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Wethington surname appeared 3,379 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Wethington.

We can also compare 2010 data for Wethington 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 Wethington

The surname Wethington is believed to have originated in England, dating back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English words "wether" and "tun," meaning "wether town" or "town of the wethers (castrated rams)." This suggests that the name likely originated as a place name referring to a settlement where wethers were raised or traded.

Wethington is thought to be a locational surname, indicating that the earliest bearers of this name hailed from a specific place called Wethington or a similar variation. Unfortunately, no definitive records have been found that pinpoint the exact location from which the name originated, as many small medieval settlements have disappeared or been absorbed into larger towns and cities over the centuries.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Wethington can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from the year 1191, where a certain Walter de Wethington is mentioned. These rolls were financial records maintained by the Exchequer of England, suggesting that the Wethington family may have been of some prominence or landholding status during that time.

Another notable early record is the appearance of a John de Wethington in the Assize Rolls of Staffordshire in 1292. Assize Rolls were legal records documenting court proceedings, indicating that the Wethington name had spread to different regions of England by the late 13th century.

In the 14th century, a Robert de Wethington is mentioned in the Lay Subsidy Rolls of Lancashire in 1332. These rolls were tax records, further supporting the idea that the Wethington family held a respected position in medieval English society.

One of the earliest known bearers of the Wethington name was Thomas Wethington, who lived in Worcestershire in the late 15th century and is recorded in the Worcestershire County Records of 1487.

Another notable individual was John Wethington, a prominent merchant and alderman who lived in London during the 16th century. Historical records indicate that he served as the Lord Mayor of London in 1572.

Over the centuries, variations of the spelling emerged, such as Wetherington, Wetheryngton, and Wetherinton, reflecting the inconsistencies in spelling that were common in earlier periods. However, the Wethington spelling appears to have become the predominant form by the 17th century.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Wethington

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

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

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

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