Webb
An occupational surname for a weaver of cloth, from the Old English word for a web-maker.
The #152 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 1,828 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Webb comes from the Old English word webba, meaning a weaver, and Middle English webbe, with the same sense. It is one of the classic English occupational surnames, originally given to someone who made cloth on a loom. Early records also show the related spellings Webbe and le Webbe.
History
The name is very common in England and later spread widely through the English-speaking world. Historical dictionaries note it frequently in medieval records and later London directories, reflecting the long importance of weaving as a trade. Related surnames include Webber and Webster, which developed from the same occupational root.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
A historical form of the name could appear with the French article, as in le Webbe, in medieval records.
From the historical record
“V. Dutton). WEBB "1 (Eng.) Weaver [M.E. wehhe, O.E. WEBBE J webba (m.), webbe (f.), weaver] Adam le V^ebhe.—Hund. Rolls. My wif was a webbe, And woUen cloth made ; She spak to spynnesteres To spynnen it oute. — Piers Plowman, 2901-4. A webbe, a dyere, and a tapycer. — , Chaucer, Cant. Tales, A 362.”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)