2000
#1,308
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 24,679
First available Census row
Per 100,000 9.15
Uncommon Last name
Weston
A locational surname referring to someone who lived to the west of a town or settlement.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 28,242 Americans carry the last name Weston. That puts it at #1,407 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 8.24 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 12,136 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Weston 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 Weston with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
28K
1 in 12,136
Census rank
#1,407
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
8.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
25K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 24,628 bearers of the surname Weston in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 8.24 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1407th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Weston, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.1%. The next largest groups are Black (21.8%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Weston
The surname Weston originated in England, deriving from the Old English words "west" and "tun," meaning "west town" or "western settlement." It likely emerged as a locational name during the Anglo-Saxon period, referring to individuals who hailed from places named Weston.
The earliest known record of the name appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is listed as "Westun" and "Westone." This seminal text, commissioned by William the Conqueror, documented landholders and settlements throughout England and parts of Wales.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname was Roger de Weston, who lived in the late 12th century and held lands in Staffordshire. Another notable bearer was Sir John Weston (c. 1515-1573), a member of Parliament and a prominent figure during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.
In the 14th century, Thomas Weston (c. 1350-1419) served as the Lord Chancellor of Ireland from 1386 to 1388. He played a significant role in the governance of the lordship during the latter part of the Hundred Years' War.
During the English Civil War, Richard Weston (1591-1652) was a prominent Royalist who served as the Earl of Portland and Lord High Treasurer under King Charles I. He was also a key figure in the marriage negotiations between Prince Charles and the Spanish Infanta.
In the realm of literature, Edward Weston (1566-1635) was an English poet and writer who published various works in the early 17th century, including "The Parlement of Birds" and "The Courtier's Soliloqvie."
Over the centuries, the surname Weston has been associated with numerous places across England, including villages, towns, and hamlets bearing the name. These place names likely originated from the same Old English roots as the surname itself.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Weston
Among Census respondents with the surname Weston, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.1%. The next largest groups are Black (21.8%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Weston 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 Weston surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White68.1% · 16,760
- Black or African American21.8% · 5,360
- Two or more races4.4% · 1,093
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 883
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.6% · 385
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 147
Timeline
Historical Census data for Weston
Weston 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
#1,380
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 25,637
+958 bearers (+3.9%)
Per 100,000 8.69
Rank movement Down 72 places
2020
#1,407
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 24,628
-1,009 bearers (-3.9%)
Per 100,000 8.24
Rank movement Down 27 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,308 | 24,679 | 9.15 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,380 | 25,637 | 8.69 | +958 bearers (+3.9%) | Down 72 places |
| 2020 | #1,407 | 24,628 | 8.24 | -1,009 bearers (-3.9%) | Down 27 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 Weston 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 | #1,380 | #1,407 | -2.0% |
| Count | 25,637 | 24,628 | -3.9% |
| Per 100K | 8.69 | 8.24 | -5.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Weston bearers went from 25,637 to 24,628 (-3.9% change). The surname moved down 27 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,380 to #1,407.
FAQ
Weston surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Weston?
Name Census estimates that about 28,242 living Americans carry the surname Weston. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 12,136 residents.
How common is Weston?
Weston ranks #1,407 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 8.24 per 100,000 residents, which is about 8 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 24,628 people with the surname Weston. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (28,242), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 8.24 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 8.24 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 8 of them to have the surname Weston.
Has Weston become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Weston went from 25,637 recorded bearers to 24,628. That is a decrease of 1,009 (-3.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,380 to #1,407.
What does the Census say about the background of Weston?
Among Census respondents with the surname Weston, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.1%. The next largest groups are Black (21.8%) and Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Weston in the 2020 Census, accounting for 68.1% (16,760 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Weston appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (68.1%), Black (21.8%), Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Weston (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 Weston mean?
A locational surname referring to someone who lived to the west of a town or settlement. 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 Weston (8.24 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 Weston?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.