NameCensus.

UK surname

West

A directional surname referring to someone who lived west of a settlement or landmark.

In the 1881 census there were 28,778 people recorded with the West surname, ranking it #112 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 39,607, ranked #124, down from #112 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard and St Pancras. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Gardenstown and King Edward, Fraserburgh Smiddyhill and Chichester.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for West is 41,176 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 37.6%.

1881 census count

28,778

Ranked #112

Modern count

39,607

2016, ranked #124

Peak year

1999

41,176 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • West had 28,778 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #112 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 39,607 in 2016, ranked #124.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 38,119 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

West surname distribution map

The map shows where the West surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

West surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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West over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 19,788 #108
1861 historical 19,398 #110
1881 historical 28,778 #112
1891 historical 31,311 #107
1901 historical 36,060 #113
1911 historical 38,119 #97
1997 modern 39,498 #116
1998 modern 40,913 #117
1999 modern 41,176 #118
2000 modern 40,588 #119
2001 modern 39,617 #119
2002 modern 40,341 #121
2003 modern 39,202 #121
2004 modern 39,119 #122
2005 modern 38,291 #123
2006 modern 38,165 #123
2007 modern 38,323 #124
2008 modern 38,404 #126
2009 modern 39,444 #125
2010 modern 40,293 #125
2011 modern 39,710 #124
2012 modern 39,017 #124
2013 modern 39,922 #124
2014 modern 40,226 #124
2015 modern 39,719 #123
2016 modern 39,607 #124

Geography

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Where Wests are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard, St Pancras and Lambeth. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Gardenstown and King Edward, Fraserburgh Smiddyhill, Chichester, Macduff and Bristol. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 London parishes London 1
2 Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard Nottinghamshire
3 St Pancras London (North Districts)
4 London parishes London 3
5 Lambeth London (South Districts)

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Gardenstown and King Edward Aberdeenshire
2 Fraserburgh Smiddyhill Aberdeenshire
3 Chichester 004 Chichester
4 Macduff Aberdeenshire
5 Bristol 008 Bristol, City of

Forenames

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First names often paired with West

These lists show first names that appear often with the West surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for West

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For West, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities

Group

Rural Amenity

Nationally, the West surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every West household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

This Group comprises older parents or retirees, with no resident dependent children, and with the lowest residential densities in this Supergroup. Predominantly UK-born, residents typically live in detached houses, although others do live in semi-detached and terraced properties. The level of multiple car ownership is the highest in this Supergroup. Most houses are owner occupied although social renting is also present. Many concentrations occur in high amenity rural locations, such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Wider pattern

Pervasive throughout the UK, members of this Supergroup typically own (or are buying) their detached, semi-detached or terraced homes. They are also typically educated to A Level/Highers or degree level and work in skilled or professional occupations. Typically born in the UK, some families have children, although the median adult age is above 45 and some property has become under-occupied after children have left home. This Supergroup is pervasive not only in suburban locations, but also in neighbourhoods at or beyond the edge of cities that adjoin rural parts of the country.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, West is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Mainly located in Inner London, these neighbourhoods retain a diverse employment structure, with some concentration in associated professional and technical occupations rather than skilled trades or construction. Social renting is more common and levels of homeownership are low. Many residents identify as Black. There is a lower than average rate of marriage or civil partnership, few that are very old (85 or over) and higher than average incidence of disability.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

West is most concentrated in decile 7 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname near the middle of the scale.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

7
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

West falls in decile 6 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname near the middle of the scale.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

6
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for West is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with West, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of West

The surname West is an English locational surname that originated in the Middle Ages. It derives from the Old English word "west" which means "from the west". The name likely referred to someone who lived to the west of a town, village, or landmark.

The earliest recorded instance of the West surname dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Westa" and "Weste". This suggests the name was already well-established in England by the 11th century.

In the 13th century, the name is found recorded as "Weste" in the Hundredorum Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1273. This spelling variation highlights how surnames evolved over time before becoming standardized.

The West surname is also associated with various place names in England, such as West Bromwich, West Ham, and Westbury. These locations may have contributed to the spread and adoption of the surname by local residents.

Notable individuals with the surname West throughout history include Thomas West, 9th Baron De La Warr (1472-1554), who served as Lord Privy Seal under King Henry VIII. Another prominent figure was Benjamin West (1738-1820), an Anglo-American painter and one of the founders of the Royal Academy in London.

Other famous bearers of the West surname include Nathanael West (1903-1940), an American author known for novels like "The Day of the Locust" and "Miss Lonelyhearts". Mary West (1737-1892) was a British novelist and playwright who wrote under the pen name "Mrs. West".

In the realm of science, Robert West (1888-1945) was a British chemist and inventor who developed the first modern aerosol product, while Edward West (1782-1828) was an English mathematician and scholar known for his work on algebraic equations.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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West families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the West surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Middlesex leads with 4,269 Wests recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.52x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 4,269 1.52x
Surrey 2,477 1.81x
Yorkshire 2,205 0.79x
Kent 2,086 2.17x
Lancashire 1,556 0.47x
Sussex 1,156 2.44x
Hampshire 1,042 1.81x
Lincolnshire 958 2.13x
Warwickshire 900 1.27x
Somerset 758 1.67x
Devon 744 1.27x
Essex 695 1.25x
Northamptonshire 621 2.35x
Leicestershire 612 1.96x
Norfolk 592 1.37x
Gloucestershire 559 1.01x
Buckinghamshire 539 3.17x
Berkshire 466 2.21x
Derbyshire 463 1.05x
Wiltshire 452 1.82x
Durham 442 0.53x
Nottinghamshire 420 1.11x
Oxfordshire 381 2.19x
Staffordshire 356 0.38x
Cheshire 288 0.46x
Worcestershire 267 0.73x
Angus 263 1.01x
Monmouthshire 249 1.22x
Suffolk 247 0.72x
Cornwall 241 0.76x
Bedfordshire 223 1.53x
Banffshire 192 3.29x
Lanarkshire 191 0.21x
Dorset 186 1.01x
Hertfordshire 184 0.95x
Glamorgan 176 0.36x
Cambridgeshire 175 0.98x
Aberdeenshire 167 0.64x
Northumberland 141 0.34x
Midlothian 108 0.29x
Fife 99 0.59x
Herefordshire 76 0.66x
West Lothian 62 1.46x
Huntingdonshire 53 0.95x
Shropshire 48 0.20x
Perthshire 45 0.36x
Royal Navy 38 1.13x
Channel Islands 37 0.44x
Ayrshire 30 0.14x
Renfrewshire 30 0.14x
Cumberland 23 0.10x
Pembrokeshire 19 0.21x
Caernarfonshire 18 0.16x
Dumfriesshire 18 0.29x
Argyllshire 17 0.22x
Kincardineshire 16 0.47x
Morayshire 15 0.34x
Stirlingshire 15 0.14x
Westmorland 15 0.24x
Shetland 13 0.45x
Ross-shire 11 0.14x
Denbighshire 9 0.08x
Dunbartonshire 8 0.11x
Radnorshire 8 0.35x
Carmarthenshire 7 0.06x
Flintshire 7 0.09x
Cardiganshire 6 0.09x
Selkirkshire 6 0.24x
Buteshire 4 0.23x
East Lothian 4 0.11x
Kirkcudbrightshire 4 0.10x
Rutland 4 0.19x
Sutherland 4 0.18x
Brecknockshire 3 0.05x
Orkney 3 0.10x
Roxburghshire 3 0.06x
Kinross-shire 2 0.28x
Montgomeryshire 2 0.03x
Isle of Man 1 0.02x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Islington London in Middlesex leads with 404 Wests recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.48x.

Place Total Index
Islington London 404 1.48x
St Pancras London 341 1.51x
Lambeth 332 1.35x
Camberwell 325 1.81x
Kensington London 261 1.67x
St Marylebone London 226 1.51x
Brighton 223 2.33x
Hackney London 208 1.32x
Birmingham 198 0.84x
Craig 196 77.88x
Gamrie 189 29.02x
Shoreditch London 183 1.50x
West Ham 174 1.42x
Aston 171 0.88x
Bethnal Green London 171 1.40x
Battersea 169 1.63x
Newington 157 1.51x
Croydon 156 2.05x
Bermondsey 150 1.79x
Leicester St Margaret 143 1.88x
Paddington London 140 1.35x
Chelsea London 138 1.63x
St George Hanover 138 3.76x
Deptford St Paul 135 1.82x
Portsea 135 1.19x
Leeds 133 0.85x
Kingston On Thames 117 3.55x
Clerkenwell London 113 1.70x
Lewisham 112 2.19x
Blackburn 110 1.24x
Greenwich 110 2.46x
Mile End Old Town 105 2.37x
Tadley 105 107.02x
Nottingham St Mary 104 1.06x
Holy Trinity 101 1.51x
Chatham 98 3.71x
Hammersmith London 97 1.40x
Southwark St George Martyr 96 1.70x
Aberdour 93 45.31x
Sheffield 87 0.98x
Bow London 85 2.37x
Bromley London 83 1.34x
Sheringham 83 74.45x
Sculcoates 80 1.81x
Westminster St John 80 2.34x
Rotherhithe 79 2.27x
Fulham London 78 1.91x
Alverstoke 77 3.69x
Poplar London 77 1.45x
Tottenham 74 1.65x
Great Grimsby 70 2.45x
Hornsey 70 1.97x
St Luke London 70 1.55x
Walcot 69 2.86x
Liverpool 68 0.34x
Wandsworth 68 2.51x
Hulme 66 0.95x
Plymouth St Andrew 66 1.46x
Ealing 64 2.55x
Woolwich 64 1.81x
Barony 63 0.27x
Fernhurst 63 60.03x
Loughborough 63 4.45x
Reading St Giles 63 3.04x
Southampton St Mary 63 1.74x
Willesden 61 2.30x
Tonbridge 60 1.73x
Westoe 60 1.26x
Bishopwearmouth 59 0.82x
Cheltenham 59 1.39x
Maidstone 59 2.06x
Leicester St Mary 58 2.30x
Radford 58 3.01x
Bulwell 57 6.92x
Bradford 56 0.83x
Broadwater 56 5.15x
Over Darwen 56 2.10x
Plumstead 56 1.75x
Titchfield 56 12.89x
Wycombe 56 4.42x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the West surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Mary 1,684
Elizabeth 1,091
Sarah 945
Ann 514
Jane 505
Eliza 491
Emma 477
Alice 441
Annie 425
Ellen 419
Emily 342
Hannah 263
Louisa 235
Martha 215
Florence 214
Charlotte 208
Caroline 186
Harriet 183
Fanny 179
Ada 175
Edith 166
Margaret 149
Maria 149
Kate 146
Lucy 126
Frances 125
Susan 122
Clara 119
Harriett 109
Catherine 108
Rose 105
Agnes 102
Amelia 93
Rebecca 85
Anne 82
Isabella 67
Matilda 67
Julia 66
Sophia 65
Esther 63
Minnie 63
Jessie 58
Susannah 56
Amy 55
Eleanor 55
Lydia 50
Gertrude 48
Maud 46
Elizth. 44
Selina 43

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the West surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
William 1,786
John 1,402
George 1,119
James 839
Thomas 789
Charles 652
Henry 642
Joseph 392
Alfred 350
Edward 329
Arthur 322
Frederick 293
Robert 290
Walter 246
Richard 232
Samuel 218
Albert 200
Harry 178
Ernest 130
Frank 124
Herbert 115
Edwin 97
Francis 85
David 81
Wm. 75
Benjamin 67
Daniel 64
Stephen 58
Fred 54
Christopher 41
Fredk. 40
Thos. 39
Edmund 37
Fredrick 35
Tom 33
Geo. 30
Isaac 29
Percy 28
Peter 28
Jesse 26
Sidney 25
Mark 24
Reuben 24
Chas. 23
Sydney 23
Cornelius 21
Harold 19
Willm. 19
Frederic 18
Joshua 18

Top occupations

Occupational titles are kept as recorded and later transcribed, so related jobs, spelling variants and mistakes stay separate. Scholar was the census term for a child in education. That means the other rows often tell you more about adult work in West households.

FAQ

West surname: questions and answers

How common was the West surname in 1881?

In 1881, 28,778 people were recorded with the West surname. That placed it at #112 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the West surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 39,607 in 2016. That gives West a modern rank of #124.

What does the West surname mean?

A directional surname referring to someone who lived west of a settlement or landmark.

What does the West map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of West bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.