2000
#12,868
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,192
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.81
Rare Last name
Weight
An occupational surname for a person who weighed goods, often for taxation or trade purposes.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,199 Americans carry the last name Weight. That puts it at #14,834 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.64 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 155,868 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Weight 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 Weight with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.2K
1 in 155,868
Census rank
#14,834
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,918 bearers of the surname Weight in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.64 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14834th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Weight, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.0%. The next largest groups are Black (9.8%) and Hispanic (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Weight
The surname Weight is of Anglo-Saxon origin, tracing its roots back to medieval England. It is believed to be derived from the Old English word "wiht," which meant a living creature or a person. This term later evolved into the modern English word "wight," referring to a person or human being.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Weight can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of landholdings in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The entry lists a landowner named Wihte, which is likely an early spelling variation of the modern Weight surname.
In the 13th century, the surname appeared in various historical records with spellings such as Wight, Wighte, and Wyght. These variations were common due to the lack of standardized spelling conventions during that time period. The surname may have also been influenced by the Old English word "gewicht," meaning weight or heaviness, suggesting a possible connection to a person's physical stature or occupation.
Notable individuals bearing the surname Weight throughout history include:
1. John Wight (c. 1590-1669), an English clergyman and author who wrote several religious works.
2. Robert Wight (1796-1872), a Scottish botanist and surgeon who made significant contributions to the study of Indian flora.
3. William Weight (1820-1899), a British architect known for designing several notable buildings in London, including the Whitechapel Art Gallery.
4. Evelyn Wight (1838-1924), an American author and activist who advocated for women's rights and temperance reform.
5. Thomas Wight (1892-1975), a British author and journalist who wrote extensively about his experiences in World War I.
The surname Weight has also been associated with various place names throughout England, such as Weight's Farm in Oxfordshire and Weight's Green in Kent. These locations may have derived their names from early inhabitants bearing the Weight surname or from geographical features related to the word's meaning.
While the surname Weight has undergone various spelling variations over the centuries, its origins can be traced back to the Anglo-Saxon era and the Old English language, reflecting the rich linguistic and cultural heritage of medieval England.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Weight
Among Census respondents with the surname Weight, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.0%. The next largest groups are Black (9.8%) and Hispanic (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Weight 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 Weight surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White82.0% · 1,572
- Black or African American9.8% · 188
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 76
- Two or more races3.0% · 57
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 17
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Weight
Weight 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
#13,034
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,356
+164 bearers (+7.5%)
Per 100,000 0.80
Rank movement Down 166 places
2020
#14,834
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,918
-438 bearers (-18.6%)
Per 100,000 0.64
Rank movement Down 1,800 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,868 | 2,192 | 0.81 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,034 | 2,356 | 0.80 | +164 bearers (+7.5%) | Down 166 places |
| 2020 | #14,834 | 1,918 | 0.64 | -438 bearers (-18.6%) | Down 1,800 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 Weight 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 | #13,034 | #14,834 | -13.8% |
| Count | 2,356 | 1,918 | -18.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.80 | 0.64 | -19.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Weight bearers went from 2,356 to 1,918 (-18.6% change). The surname moved down 1,800 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,034 to #14,834.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Weight
FAQ
Weight surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Weight?
Name Census estimates that about 2,199 living Americans carry the surname Weight. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 155,868 residents.
How common is Weight?
Weight ranks #14,834 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.64 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 1,918 people with the surname Weight. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,199), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.64 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.64 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 Weight.
Has Weight become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Weight went from 2,356 recorded bearers to 1,918. That is a decrease of 438 (-18.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,034 to #14,834.
What does the Census say about the background of Weight?
Among Census respondents with the surname Weight, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.0%. The next largest groups are Black (9.8%) and Hispanic (4.0%). 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 Weight in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.0% (1,572 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Weight appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (82.0%), Black (9.8%), Hispanic (4.0%). 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 Weight (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 Weight mean?
An occupational surname for a person who weighed goods, often for taxation or trade purposes. 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 Weight (0.64 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 Weight?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.