Westfall
A surname likely built from the element west plus a place-name ending, probably originally pointing to someone from a western place or field.
The #2,758 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 23,606 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The historical sources treat Westfall as a form related to Westfield, so the name is most likely locational. It appears to combine west with an old place-name element meaning field or open land, giving the sense of “western field” or “person from the west field.” The exact pathway is not fully secure in the 19th-century sources, and some later-looking forms may reflect spelling variation rather than a separate original surname.
History
The name is recorded in English surname collections and also turns up in American records, where Westfall and Westfield are both noted. The sources suggest that the form probably spread through ordinary surname spelling variation rather than through one single family line. In modern usage it is established in the United States, where it is relatively uncommon but well represented.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
19th-century surname compilers explicitly linked Westfall with Westfield, showing how fluid spelling could be in early records.
From the historical record
“Westcote, a parish co. Gloucester. But see COAT. WESTFALL. The same as Westfield ; from Westfield, name K 2 132 LUDUS PATRONYMICUS. of parishes cos. Norfolk and Sussex ; and also of several town- ships of the U. S., North America. Westfall and Westfield are both found in Bowditch. WHALE. The same as the 0. G. names…”
— Ludus Patronymicus; or, the etymology of curious surnames