2000
#9,434
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,161
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.17
Rare Last name
Wethington
Derived from a place name meaning "town of Witta's people," referring to a settlement associated with someone named Witta.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,342 Americans carry the last name Wethington. That puts it at #10,505 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.97 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 102,560 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wethington 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
3.3K
1 in 102,560
Census rank
#10,505
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,914 bearers of the surname Wethington in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.97 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10505th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wethington, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Black (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wethington
Among Census respondents with the surname Wethington, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Black (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Wethington 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 Wethington surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.5% · 2,638
- Two or more races3.2% · 94
- Black or African American2.8% · 81
- Hispanic or Latino2.4% · 70
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 16
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 15
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wethington
Wethington 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
#9,618
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,379
+218 bearers (+6.9%)
Per 100,000 1.15
Rank movement Down 184 places
2020
#10,505
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,914
-465 bearers (-13.8%)
Per 100,000 0.97
Rank movement Down 887 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,434 | 3,161 | 1.17 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,618 | 3,379 | 1.15 | +218 bearers (+6.9%) | Down 184 places |
| 2020 | #10,505 | 2,914 | 0.97 | -465 bearers (-13.8%) | Down 887 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 Wethington 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 | #9,618 | #10,505 | -9.2% |
| Count | 3,379 | 2,914 | -13.8% |
| Per 100K | 1.15 | 0.97 | -15.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wethington bearers went from 3,379 to 2,914 (-13.8% change). The surname moved down 887 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,618 to #10,505.
FAQ
Wethington surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wethington?
Name Census estimates that about 3,342 living Americans carry the surname Wethington. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 102,560 residents.
How common is Wethington?
Wethington ranks #10,505 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.97 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 2,914 people with the surname Wethington. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,342), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.97 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.97 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 Wethington.
Has Wethington become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wethington went from 3,379 recorded bearers to 2,914. That is a decrease of 465 (-13.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,618 to #10,505.
What does the Census say about the background of Wethington?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wethington, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Black (2.8%). 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 Wethington in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.5% (2,638 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wethington appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.5%), Two or More Races (3.2%), Black (2.8%). 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 Wethington (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 Wethington mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "town of Witta's people," referring to a settlement associated with someone named Witta. 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 Wethington (0.97 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 common is the surname Wethington?
Find out how many Americans have the surname Wethington on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.