2000
#26,493
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 866
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.32
Rare Last name
Weightman
An occupational surname referring to a person responsible for weighing goods or regulating weights and measures.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,066 Americans carry the last name Weightman. That puts it at #27,452 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.31 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 321,533 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Weightman 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 Weightman with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
1.1K
1 in 321,533
Census rank
#27,452
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
930
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 930 bearers of the surname Weightman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.31 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 27452nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Weightman, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.2%) and Black (5.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Weightman
The surname Weightman originates from England, with roots dating back to the 12th century. It is an occupational name derived from the Old English words "wihte" and "mann," meaning "a person" and "man," respectively. This combination likely referred to someone responsible for weighing goods or commodities, such as a weigher or weighmaster.
The earliest recorded instance of the name Weightman appears in the Pipe Rolls of Northamptonshire from 1195, where a William Wichteman is mentioned. This spelling variation suggests the name's evolution from its original Old English form.
In the 13th century, the name can be found in various records, including the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire from 1273, which mentions a John Wichteman. The Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1275 also contain the entry of a Richard Wyhteman.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was John Weightman, a prominent merchant and alderman in the city of York during the 14th century. He served as the city's mayor in 1364 and played a significant role in the local government.
The Weightman surname can also be traced to place names, such as Weightman's Close in the parish of Sedgefield, County Durham. This location is mentioned in records from the 16th century, suggesting that the name may have originated from a family residing in that area.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, several notable individuals bore the Weightman surname. Thomas Weightman (1545-1628) was an English clergyman and academic who served as the President of Queens' College, Cambridge, from 1617 until his death.
Another noteworthy figure was John Weightman (1680-1761), a successful merchant and shipowner from the town of Whitby, Yorkshire. He played a significant role in the development of the town's maritime industry and contributed to the construction of several ships.
In the 18th century, George Weightman (1742-1823) was a prominent lawyer and politician from Yorkshire. He served as a Member of Parliament for the borough of Preston from 1802 to 1806.
The Weightman surname continued to gain prominence in various fields throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries. Richard Weightman (1817-1904) was a British inventor and engineer who patented several innovations related to steam engines and railway signaling systems.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Weightman
Among Census respondents with the surname Weightman, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.2%) and Black (5.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Weightman 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 Weightman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.0% · 781
- Two or more races6.2% · 58
- Black or African American5.6% · 52
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 24
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 10
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Weightman
Weightman 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
#25,935
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 947
+81 bearers (+9.4%)
Per 100,000 0.32
Rank movement Up 558 places
2020
#27,452
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 930
-17 bearers (-1.8%)
Per 100,000 0.31
Rank movement Down 1,517 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #26,493 | 866 | 0.32 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #25,935 | 947 | 0.32 | +81 bearers (+9.4%) | Up 558 places |
| 2020 | #27,452 | 930 | 0.31 | -17 bearers (-1.8%) | Down 1,517 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 Weightman 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 | #25,935 | #27,452 | -5.8% |
| Count | 947 | 930 | -1.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.32 | 0.31 | -2.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Weightman bearers went from 947 to 930 (-1.8% change). The surname moved down 1,517 positions in the national ranking, going from #25,935 to #27,452.
FAQ
Weightman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Weightman?
Name Census estimates that about 1,066 living Americans carry the surname Weightman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 321,533 residents.
How common is Weightman?
Weightman ranks #27,452 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.31 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 930 people with the surname Weightman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,066), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.31 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.31 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 Weightman.
Has Weightman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Weightman went from 947 recorded bearers to 930. That is a decrease of 17 (-1.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #25,935 to #27,452.
What does the Census say about the background of Weightman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Weightman, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.2%) and Black (5.6%). 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 Weightman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.0% (781 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Weightman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.0%), Two or More Races (6.2%), Black (5.6%). 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 Weightman (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 Weightman mean?
An occupational surname referring to a person responsible for weighing goods or regulating weights and measures. 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 Weightman (0.31 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 Weightman?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.