Westmoreland
A regional surname taken from the historic English county of Westmorland, meaning someone from that northern district.
The #3,430 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 29,690 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Westmoreland is a locational surname from the historic county of Westmorland in northwest England. The county name is usually explained as meaning “the western moor land,” from Old English elements for west, moor, and land. In surname use, it would originally have identified a person who came from that county or had some close connection with it.
History
As a surname, Westmoreland is English and relatively uncommon. It belongs to the large class of names formed from counties, towns, and local districts, especially among people who moved away from their home place. The spelling follows the familiar modern form of the county name, though the county itself is historically Westmorland, now part of Cumbria.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The county name Westmorland was historically written with an -a- in the second syllable, but the surname often reflects the more familiar later spelling with -more-.
From the historical record
“and see under Bank] A Westmoreland Swinbank occurs in the 1 6th cent, as Swynebank. (Eng.) Bel, to Swinburn ; or”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)Notable people named Westmoreland
- William Westmoreland (1914–2005)
Sourced from Wikidata; linked to their Wikipedia page.