2000
#122,534
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 130
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Weaving
An occupational surname derived from the profession of weaving cloth or textiles.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 155 Americans carry the last name Weaving. That puts it at #131,120 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.05 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,211,318 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Weaving 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Weaving with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
155
1 in 2,211,318
Census rank
#131,120
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
135
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 135 bearers of the surname Weaving in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.05 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 131120th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Weaving, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.6%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (6.7%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Weaving
The surname "Weaving" is of English origin and can be traced back to the medieval period. It is an occupational surname derived from the Old English word "wefan," meaning "to weave." The name was likely given to those who worked as weavers or were involved in the textile industry.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire, dated 1166, where a person named Richard le Wevere is mentioned. This early spelling variation, "Wevere," highlights the occupational nature of the name.
Another early reference to the name can be found in the Curia Regis Rolls of Buckinghamshire in 1205, where a person named William le Wevere is listed. The use of the French prefix "le" before the occupational term was common during the Norman period in England.
In the 13th century, the name "Weaving" appeared in various forms, such as "Wevyng" and "Wevinge," as evidenced by the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1273, where a person named Hugh Wevyng is recorded.
One of the notable individuals with the surname "Weaving" was Robert Weaving, a 16th-century English clergyman and author who served as the Archdeacon of Doncaster. He was born around 1540 and died in 1616.
Another significant figure was John Weaving, an English Puritan minister and religious writer who lived from 1575 to 1630. He served as the rector of St. Michael's Church in Coventry and was known for his religious works, including "Antidote against the Poyson of Hereticall and Blasphemous Sectaries" (1622).
In the 17th century, a notable individual named Thomas Weaving, born around 1620, was a member of the Virginia House of Burgesses, representing Lancaster County. He played a role in the colonial government of Virginia during that time.
Moving forward, Elizabeth Weaving, born in 1694, was a notable figure from Derbyshire, England. She was known for her involvement in the local community and her philanthropic efforts.
Finally, John Weaving, born in 1789 in Lancashire, England, was a renowned mathematician and astronomer. He made significant contributions to the fields of celestial mechanics and the calculation of planetary orbits.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Weaving
Among Census respondents with the surname Weaving, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.6%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (6.7%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Weaving 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 Weaving surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.6% · 121
- American Indian and Alaska Native6.7% · 9
- Two or more races3.0% · 4
- Hispanic or Latino0.7% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Weaving
Weaving 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
#125,282
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 137
+7 bearers (+5.4%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 2,748 places
2020
#131,120
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 135
-2 bearers (-1.5%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 5,838 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #122,534 | 130 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #125,282 | 137 | 0.05 | +7 bearers (+5.4%) | Down 2,748 places |
| 2020 | #131,120 | 135 | 0.05 | -2 bearers (-1.5%) | Down 5,838 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 Weaving 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 | #125,282 | #131,120 | -4.7% |
| Count | 137 | 135 | -1.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.05 | -9.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Weaving bearers went from 137 to 135 (-1.5% change). The surname moved down 5,838 positions in the national ranking, going from #125,282 to #131,120.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Weaving
FAQ
Weaving surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Weaving?
Name Census estimates that about 155 living Americans carry the surname Weaving. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,211,318 residents.
How common is Weaving?
Weaving ranks #131,120 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.05 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 135 people with the surname Weaving. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (155), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.05 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.05 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Weaving.
Has Weaving become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Weaving went from 137 recorded bearers to 135. That is a decrease of 2 (-1.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #125,282 to #131,120.
What does the Census say about the background of Weaving?
Among Census respondents with the surname Weaving, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.6%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (6.7%) and Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Weaving in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.6% (121 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Weaving appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.6%), American Indian/Alaska Native (6.7%), Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Weaving (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 Weaving mean?
An occupational surname derived from the profession of weaving cloth or textiles. 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 Weaving (0.05 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 Weaving?
If you just want to know how many people have the last name Weaving, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.