An and German surname of West is from the Middle English and Middle High German term ‘west’, which means someone who lived to the west of a settlement, or an individual who had migrated from further west.

An additional spelling form for West is only Weste.

In England the West surname is not that popular. It is located in London and counties to the south of London. There are some with the surname also in Lancashire and Yorkshire counties.

In Scotland, the West family name is mostly on the eastern half of the region, especially in Aberdeenshire, Banffshire and Augus counties.

The West surname is scattered across the United States. It appears most frequently in Georgia, North Carolina, Virginia, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, New York, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Missouri, Texas and California.


Famous: Billy West (silent film producer and actor), Dorothy West (novelist), James Edward Maceo West (inventor of foil electret microphone), Adam West (actor), John West (19th century British Admiral of the Fleet), Mae West (actress), Mark West (professional basketball player), Richard M. West (astronomer from Denmark) and Wallace West (science fiction writer).