Surname Wetherby - Meaning and Origin
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Wetherby: What does the surname Wetherby mean?
The surname Wetherby, primarily associated with English heritage, has likely derived from a geographical location. It is a habitational name from a place in West Yorkshire named Wetherby, formerly known as 'Weðerbi'. It consists of two Old Norse elements: 'veðr', meaning 'wether' or 'ram' (a castrated male sheep), and 'býr', which translates to 'farm' or 'settlement'. Thus, the name Wetherby could essentially mean 'the farm or settlement where wethers are kept'. It also might relate to the people living or working in such a place. Surnames originating from geographical locations were often given to the local lord of the land, and then carried down through the family lineage, or were assumed by those who migrated from one place to another. As a result, Wetherby is not only used as a last name but also denotes a market town and civil parish in the City of Leeds metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England.
Order DNA origin analysisWetherby: Where does the name Wetherby come from?
The last name Wetherby is most common in North America, particularly in Canada and the United States. According to statistics, the Wetherby name is most prevalent in the United States, with about 8,000 people. In Canada, there are around 2,000 people with the Wetherby surname.
Within the United States, the last name is found most in several Midwest states, including Ohio, Michigan, and Indiana. There are also large numbers of Wetherbys present in the states of Texas, Nevada, Illinois, and New York.
The Wetherby family name is derived from a place name with roots in the old Norse language. Meaning 'Homestead by the Weather Stream,' the name is similar to the town of Weatherby in Lincolnshire, England. The family likely hail from this town, although the exact origin of this last name is difficult to trace.
The name is not widely common in other parts of the world. There are only a small number of people with the Wetherby surname in Europe, and it’s estimated that less than 500 people have it in Australia. In many cases, these people likely descended from North American Wetherbys who immigrated some time in the last two centuries.
Variations of the surname Wetherby
The surname Wetherby is an anglicised form of the Old Norse name Valthjof, which is composed of the elements “valr” – meaning “one who guards” and “þjófr” – meaning “theft”. It is thought to have first appeared in Northumbria during the early middle ages.
Variant spellings of this surname include Weatherby, Witherbee, Witherbey, Wetherbee, Wythirby and Wydirby.
Some surnames that have evolved from the original Wetherby include Wetherholt, Wetharly, Wetherill, Wetherby, Wetherill, Wetheroy, Whedon and Widdersley.
The 2009 list of top surnames reported by the United States Census Bureau includes Wetherby and Wetherill with approximately 2,800 total bearers. The name Wetherby appears most prevalently in the United Kingdom, while the name Wetherill is more common in the United States.
Several locations in England have been named after this surname, including Wetherby (a large market town in North Yorkshire), Wether drank (a settlement in the East Riding of Yorkshire) and Wethersfield (a civil parish in Essex).
The surname Wetherby has been adopted as given name in both England and the United States, especially by people of middle-class backgrounds in the 19th century. It is often found in records with the suffix “by”, such as “John Wetherby” or “Elizabeth Wetherby”.
Famous people with the name Wetherby
- Sarah Wetherby, American artist and educator
- Claire Wetherby, American actress
- Todd Wetherby, American television producer and director
- Lola Wetherby, American comedian
- Janna Wetherby, English singer-songwriter
- Alex Wetherby, Canadian musician
- Marc Wetherby, British screenwriter
- Adam Wetherby, Australian actor
- Blaise Wetherby, British novelist
- Austin Wetherby, American entrepreneur