West Surname Origin, Meaning & Last Name History

West Surname

1,324^th

Most Common

surname in the World

Approximately 409,029 people bear this surname

Most prevalent in:

United States

Highest density in:

Montserrat

West Surname Definition:

This surname is derived from a geographical locality. 'from the West.' One who had settled eastwards; compare Western, Westerman, and Westray. This surname is so universal that to furnish modern instances were idle.

Algar West, Oxfordshire, 1273.

West Surname Distribution Map

Place	Incidence	Frequency	Rank in Area
United States	256,422	1:1,414	104
England	49,350	1:1,129	114
Nigeria	42,780	1:4,141	550
Australia	20,547	1:1,314	131
Canada	12,152	1:3,032	382
South Africa	4,174	1:12,980	1,624
New Zealand	3,459	1:1,309	142
Scotland	2,603	1:2,057	373
Jamaica	1,979	1:1,450	244
Wales	1,753	1:1,765	172
Germany	1,334	1:60,349	7,764
Denmark	1,062	1:5,315	481
Saudi Arabia	716	1:43,095	6,100
Ireland	678	1:6,945	1,013
Sweden	661	1:14,897	1,272
Finland	581	1:9,461	1,478
Iran	526	1:145,974	12,909
Zimbabwe	462	1:33,416	5,147
Northern Ireland	456	1:4,046	802
France	445	1:149,265	23,131
Brazil	431	1:496,692	18,741
Netherlands	366	1:46,140	7,845
Thailand	347	1:203,569	33,741
Spain	339	1:137,912	10,392
Argentina	328	1:130,315	11,038
Panama	265	1:14,763	1,123
Dominican Republic	262	1:39,820	2,154
Trinidad and Tobago	252	1:5,413	862
Kenya	247	1:186,963	13,986
India	236	1:3,250,277	94,785
Philippines	208	1:486,722	57,858
Morocco	204	1:169,000	29,345
Liberia	194	1:22,724	2,241
Belgium	181	1:63,517	10,203
Portugal	160	1:65,114	3,431
Papua New Guinea	153	1:53,292	6,745
Nicaragua	144	1:41,813	1,325
Switzerland	130	1:63,176	7,791
Costa Rica	126	1:37,937	986
Norway	126	1:40,812	5,820
Guyana	115	1:6,628	1,120
Bahrain	103	1:13,093	2,472
Mexico	102	1:1,216,924	14,589
Namibia	78	1:30,890	4,700
Barbados	73	1:3,938	517
Belize	72	1:4,937	872
Japan	69	1:1,852,816	26,842
Italy	68	1:899,363	66,781
China	67	1:20,407,785	1,130
Malta	66	1:6,519	434
Austria	60	1:141,924	19,117
Tanzania	60	1:882,360	43,917
Bermuda	56	1:1,166	187
Malaysia	56	1:526,683	26,095
Isle of Man	53	1:1,619	284
Indonesia	52	1:2,543,254	149,807
Jersey	39	1:2,544	430
Cayman Islands	38	1:1,681	216
Cyprus	38	1:23,286	2,691
Ecuador	37	1:429,888	10,240
Guernsey	37	1:1,742	400
Antigua and Barbuda	32	1:3,099	465
Hong Kong	32	1:229,234	3,021
Pakistan	31	1:5,762,706	35,301
United States Virgin Islands	31	1:3,560	588
Kuwait	29	1:131,058	14,967
Czechia	27	1:393,832	45,478
Montserrat	27	1:183	38
Iraq	26	1:1,346,987	15,017
Poland	23	1:1,652,554	91,394
Colombia	22	1:2,171,549	12,645
Ghana	22	1:1,228,213	11,497
Faroe Islands	21	1:2,333	264
Israel	20	1:427,882	33,464
Afghanistan	19	1:1,692,273	13,110
Egypt	19	1:4,838,724	48,082
Estonia	19	1:69,569	12,771
Venezuela	18	1:1,678,004	21,578
American Samoa	17	1:3,280	753
Peru	16	1:1,986,508	25,077
Solomon Islands	16	1:36,252	7,281
Uruguay	16	1:214,485	16,699
Curaçao	14	1:11,232	389
Singapore	13	1:423,669	18,211
Guam	12	1:13,343	2,098
Saint Kitts and Nevis	12	1:4,600	509
South Korea	11	1:4,658,205	839
Togo	11	1:658,888	6,365
Ethiopia	10	1:9,754,626	14,516
Gibraltar	10	1:3,395	741
Greece	10	1:1,107,979	84,839
Slovakia	10	1:533,645	60,629
Fiji	9	1:99,377	1,883
Tunisia	9	1:67,847	8,246
United Arab Emirates	9	1:1,018,030	36,884
Uzbekistan	9	1:3,436,571	32,268
Honduras	8	1:1,102,055	4,829
Taiwan	8	1:2,930,593	17,989
Chile	7	1:2,516,639	33,195
Iceland	7	1:54,299	3,881
Bangladesh	6	1:26,559,462	17,284
Cameroon	6	1:3,461,511	126,814
Oman	6	1:614,662	6,082
Qatar	6	1:393,000	55,922
Vietnam	6	1:15,441,009	3,090
Georgia	5	1:749,109	21,598
Lithuania	5	1:606,918	21,375
Puerto Rico	5	1:710,028	4,074
Anguilla	4	1:3,359	324
Botswana	4	1:546,732	22,624
Cambodia	4	1:3,871,786	9,580
Djibouti	4	1:228,733	966
Equatorial Guinea	4	1:283,918	487
Guatemala	4	1:4,020,667	7,726
Kyrgyzstan	4	1:1,493,164	71,188
Latvia	4	1:512,512	30,386
Mauritius	4	1:323,354	10,053
New Caledonia	4	1:69,056	6,678
Suriname	4	1:138,154	7,029
Turkey	4	1:19,455,356	155,681
Vanuatu	4	1:65,819	1,151
Zambia	4	1:3,962,480	38,524
Algeria	3	1:12,877,184	84,902
Bahamas	3	1:130,584	1,472
Benin	3	1:3,445,201	77,822
Haiti	3	1:3,561,302	20,668
Luxembourg	3	1:193,514	7,046
Mozambique	3	1:9,087,190	7,315
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	3	1:37,553	1,173
Sri Lanka	3	1:6,936,187	18,422
Angola	2	1:13,494,607	11,780
Bolivia	2	1:5,308,217	12,400
Brunei	2	1:209,366	3,098
Cape Verde	2	1:264,821	5,214
Croatia	2	1:2,114,302	85,143
Gabon	2	1:944,597	6,773
Gambia	2	1:961,726	1,013
Jordan	2	1:4,421,218	22,351
Nepal	2	1:14,240,478	17,812
Romania	2	1:10,038,935	80,612
Rwanda	2	1:5,682,489	5,910
Senegal	2	1:7,289,671	8,117
Serbia	2	1:3,572,474	32,645
Uganda	2	1:19,519,640	189,114
Albania	1	1:2,914,055	29,474
Armenia	1	1:2,930,180	22,770
Azerbaijan	1	1:9,649,122	47,873
Bhutan	1	1:616,039	1,715
Bosnia and Herzegovina	1	1:3,536,402	19,532
British Virgin Islands	1	1:31,594	1,029
Dominica	1	1:75,891	912
DR Congo	1	1:73,879,570	260,543
French Polynesia	1	1:280,805	7,211
Greenland	1	1:56,379	1,133
Grenada	1	1:108,535	1,793
Guinea	1	1:11,833,817	3,268
Hungary	1	1:9,816,277	73,288
Ivory Coast	1	1:23,071,232	76,679
Laos	1	1:6,588,323	1,961
Lesotho	1	1:2,032,558	23,402
Malawi	1	1:17,119,109	34,144
Mali	1	1:16,969,035	4,067
Marshall Islands	1	1:51,821	2,326
Mauritania	1	1:4,094,863	38,869
Micronesia	1	1:106,243	1,380
Moldova	1	1:3,561,368	78,271
Myanmar	1	1:51,937,985	2,166
Palau	1	1:21,643	223
Paraguay	1	1:7,236,746	16,511
Russia	1	1:144,123,056	881,408
Saint Lucia	1	1:178,781	3,800
Samoa	1	1:193,808	1,089
San Marino	1	1:33,214	932
Sierra Leone	1	1:7,089,631	1,533
Slovenia	1	1:2,487,675	31,128
Somalia	1	1:13,452,061	9,224
Sudan	1	1:37,510,195	14,259
Swaziland	1	1:1,298,199	1,718
Tuvalu	1	1:11,188	103
Ukraine	1	1:45,522,696	503,646

Show All Nations

Place	Incidence	Frequency	Rank in Area
Ireland	903	1:4,906	827

Place	Incidence	Frequency	Rank in Area
England	26,969	1:904	91
Scotland	1,342	1:2,789	484
Wales	506	1:3,100	203
Guernsey	21	1:1,555	273
Jersey	13	1:3,991	684
Isle of Man	1	1:54,269	2,077

Place	Incidence	Frequency	Rank in Area
United States	46,202	1:1,087	90

The alternate forms: Wèst (1) are calculated separately.

West (8,699) may also be a first name.

West Surname Meaning

From Where Does The Surname Originate? ^{meaning and history}

Algar West, Oxfordshire, 1273. Hundred Rolls.

Albricius West, Cambridgeshire, ibid.

Robert del West, 1379: Poll Tax of Yorkshire.

Ricardus del West, 1379: ibid.

Magota del West, 1379: ibid.

1575. Richard Weste, Devon: Register of the University of Oxford.

1615. Buried — Joane, d. Michaell Weste: St. James, Clerkenwell.

— A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames (1896) by Charles Wareing Endell Bardsley

A common surname in Garnrie (Turriff), and also found in Perthshire and West Lothian. Janet Wast in Biggar, 1670 (Lanark CR.), and Isobel West in Little Dunkeld (Dunkeld). Pension was paid to Margt. Waste, relict of Robert Cruizean, late deacon of the cordiners, 1723 (Guildry, p. 127).

— The Surnames of Scotland (1946) by George Fraser Black (1866-1948)

(English) One from the West; a West- countryman [Middle English westle, Old English west] Robertus del West.—Yorks Poll-Tax, A.D. 1379.

A shipman was ther, wonynge [dwelling] fer by weste; For aught I woot [know] he was of Dertemouthe.—Chaucer, Cant. Tales, A 388-9.

— Surnames of the United Kingdom (1912) by Henry Harrison

(English) One who came from the West, a west countryman.

— Dictionary of American Family Names (1956) by Elsdon Coles Smith

See under North. The noble family (Earl Delawarr), traced by Collins to temp. Edw. II., at that period wrote themselves De West; not, it appears, from any place so called, but from their large possessions in the West of England.

— Patronymica Britannica (1860) by Mark Antony Lower

Robert de West, William de West, Normandy 1198 (Magni Rotuli Scaccarii Normanniae).

— The Norman People (1874)

Or De Gaste, probably a branch of the Meurdracs, Barons of St. Denis-de-Gaste, in the Cotentin. Robert de Gaste or Waste, t. William I., gave his tithes in Hunts to Bee Abbey, Normandy; and his wife’s father is mentioned, William Fitz-Geroie, one of the Geroies, Barons of Escalfoy (Mon. ii. 877). Nigel de Gaste, his son, held from Nigel de Albini in Bedford in 1086. Ralph de G. was father of Everard; and John Fitz-Everard de G., t. John, made grants to Waltham Abbey (Mon. i. 18). In 1216 Fulco Waste and Gilbert le Gros (one of the family of Geroie) held a fief in Oxford (Testa de Neville). Thomas West, of Oxfordshire, occurs t. Edward I. (Rot. Hundr.). Sir Thomas West was bailsman in Oxford for Peter de Scudamore and others when pardoned (Parliamentary Writs); was M.P. for Warwick 1322; m. Alianore de Cantelupe; and was summoned by writ as a Baron 1342. From him descend the Earls Delawarr and Barons Buckhurst.

— The Norman People (1874)

From the Old Norse, Vestarr; DFrom the Flemish, West; in the Domesday Book, Westre; a personal name.

— British Family Names: Their Origin and Meaning (1903) by Henry Barber

West. —This name is scattered about in different parts of England, both in the west and in the east, and its distribution gives only a slight support to the suggestion that it was originally given to persons who came from the west. At all events, such an explanation can scarcely apply to the Wests of Cornwall. It is, however, noticeable that the counties in which the name is perhaps best represented, namely, Lincolnshire, Norfolk, Northamptonshire, and Sussex, occur in the eastern half of England.

— Homes of Family Names in Great Britain (1890) by Henry Brougham Guppy

User-submitted Reference

(English) One who came from the west i.e. Wales, Ireland or the West of England. Alternately it can mean the person who came from the western part of a town or village.

(Irish) One who came from Connacht.

- dinn315

(Scottish, English) The West surname means 'one who came from the west'.

- dinn315

DNA test information

West Demographics

West Religious Adherence
in Russia

Sample size: 33 (2016)

Religious Adherence
in Russia

View the most religious surnames in Russia

West Last Name Facts

Where Does The Last Name West Come From? ^{nationality or country of origin}

The surname West (Arabic: وست, Hindi: वेस्ट) occurs most in The United States. It can appear in the variant forms: Wèst. Click here for other possible spellings of this name.

How Common Is The Last Name West? ^{popularity and diffusion}

The surname is the 1,324^th most commonly occurring last name globally It is held by approximately 1 in 17,817 people. The last name West is mostly found in The Americas, where 67 percent of West are found; 66 percent are found in North America and 66 percent are found in Anglo-North America. It is also the 67,228^th most commonly held first name world-wide. It is borne by 8,699 people.

West is most prevalent in The United States, where it is held by 256,422 people, or 1 in 1,414. In The United States West is mostly concentrated in: Texas, where 9 percent reside, California, where 8 percent reside and Georgia, where 7 percent reside. Excluding The United States this surname is found in 179 countries. It is also found in England, where 12 percent reside and Nigeria, where 10 percent reside.

West Family Population Trend ^{historical fluctuation}

The occurrence of West has changed through the years. In The United States the number of people who held the West surname rose 555 percent between 1880 and 2014; in England it rose 183 percent between 1881 and 2014; in Scotland it rose 194 percent between 1881 and 2014; in Wales it rose 346 percent between 1881 and 2014 and in Ireland it contracted 25 percent between 1901 and 2014.

West Last Name Statistics ^demography

The religious devotion of those holding the last name is predominantly Anglican (60%) in Ireland, Orthodox (82%) in Russia, Christian (99%) in Nigeria and Orthodox (75%) in Ukraine.

In The United States those bearing the West surname are 13.09% more likely to be registered Republicans than the national average, with 59.86% registered with the political party.

The amount West earn in different countries varies greatly. In Italy they earn 24.63% less than the national average, earning €22,633 per year; in Norway they earn 4.38% less than the national average, earning 330,921 kr per year; in Peru they earn 24.73% less than the national average, earning S/. 14,591 per year; in South Africa they earn 36.79% more than the national average, earning R 325,068 per year; in Colombia they earn 40.75% more than the national average, earning $31,954,000 COP per year; in United States they earn 4.34% less than the national average, earning $41,276 USD per year and in Canada they earn 2.88% more than the national average, earning $51,114 CAD per year.

Phonetically Similar Names

Surname	Similarity	Worldwide Incidence	Prevalency
Wèst	92	1	/
Wiest	89	11,402	/
Weist	89	4,046	/
Wuest	89	3,285	/
Woest	89	1,724	/
Westh	89	1,707	/
Weast	89	1,154	/
Weste	89	838	/
Weest	89	60	/
Weust	89	35	/
Westt	89	32	/
Wesst	89	10	/
Weyst	89	9	/
Whest	89	7	/
Weszt	89	5	/
Wedst	89	2	/
Westd	89	1	/
Wwest	89	0	/
Westz	89	0	/
Waest	89	0	/
Wieszt	80	373	/
Wueste	80	201	/
Weiste	80	62	/
Woehst	80	54	/
Wescht	80	12	/
Wejset	80	7	/
Weijst	80	6	/
Weiszt	80	4	/
Wheist	80	2	/
Westhe	80	2	/
D'West	80	2	/
Weastt	80	1	/
Westph	80	1	/
Westte	80	1	/
Wouest	80	1	/
Weaste	80	0	/
Wweest	80	0	/
Whiest	80	0	/
Weisst	80	0	/
Weistt	80	0	/
Best	75	110,527	/
Vest	75	17,723	/
Wist	75	2,226	/
Wast	75	735	/
Uest	75	44	/
Wöst	75	32	/
Wost	75	27	/
Wyst	75	23	/
Wäst	75	22	/
Wjst	75	15	/
Wext	75	8	/
Wesd	75	4	/
Weiseth	73	342	/
Weisæth	73	53	/
Westová	73	18	/
Weishet	73	1	/
Wuescht	73	1	/
D'Weast	73	1	/
Wiste	67	1,055	/
Veste	67	703	/
Wöste	67	616	/
Wecht	67	439	/
Wisth	67	383	/
Vesth	67	381	/
Besst	67	187	/
Beest	67	184	/
Beyst	67	167	/
Wiszt	67	136	/
Viest	67	131	/
Wisst	67	95	/
Whist	67	76	/
Voest	67	76	/
Wijst	67	71	/
Weischet	67	54	/
Wöhst	67	43	/
Besht	67	37	/
Waast	67	24	/
Beist	67	22	/
Huest	67	21	/
Bestt	67	18	/
Vestå	67	15	/
Wastå	67	14	/
Wizst	67	12	/
Washt	67	12	/
Waszt	67	9	/
Vehst	67	8	/
Waist	67	7	/
Wohst	67	6	/
Veist	67	6	/
Wasth	67	6	/
Beszt	67	6	/
Ueste	67	6	/
Beast	67	5	/
Hvest	67	5	/
Vests	67	4	/
Wisht	67	3	/
Veyst	67	2	/
Vuest	67	2	/
Veast	67	2	/
Wahst	67	2	/
Wyost	67	1	/
Wysht	67	1	/
Westhova	67	1	/
Weishett	67	1	/
Weizt	67	1	/
Vesst	67	1	/
Ouest	67	1	/
Hwast	67	1	/
Hwist	67	1	/
Vhest	67	1	/
Weißt	67	1	/
Whost	67	1	/
Wajst	67	1	/
Wyszt	67	1	/
Whast	67	1	/
Wjsth	67	1	/
Wuist	67	0	/
Wists	67	0	/
Wastt	67	0	/
Wosth	67	0	/
Wystt	67	0	/

Show All Similar Surnames

West Name Transliterations

Transliteration	ICU Latin	Percentage of Incidence
West in the Hindi language
वेस्ट	vesta	-
West in the Arabic language
وست	wst	-

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West Reference & Research

Waste FamilyTree DNA Project - A description of a group researching the paternal lines of men who bear the surname with the help of DNA analysis.

The name statistics are still in development, sign up for information on more maps and data

Footnotes

Surnames are taken as the first part of an person's inherited family name, caste, clan name or in some cases patronymic
Descriptions may contain details on the name's etymology, origin, ethnicity and history. They are largely reproduced from 3rd party sources; diligence is advised on accepting their validity - more information
Name distribution statistics are generated from a global database of over 4 billion people - more information
Heatmap: Dark red means there is a higher occurrence of the name, transitioning to light yellow signifies a progressively lower occurrence. Clicking on selected countries will show mapping at a regional level
Rank: Name are ranked by incidence using the ordinal ranking method; the name that occurs the most is assigned a rank of 1; name that occur less frequently receive an incremented rank; if two or more name occur the same number of times they are assigned the same rank and successive rank is incremented by the total preceeding names
Ethnic group cannot necessarily be determined by geographic occurrence
Similar: Names listed in the "Similar" section are phonetically similar and may not have any relation to West
To find out more about this surname's family history, lookup records on FamilySearch, MyHeritage, FindMyPast and Ancestry. Further information may be obtained by DNA analysis