Explore the Family Name Wemyss
The meaning of Wemyss
Scottish: habitational name from Wemyss in Fife, traditionally pronounced ‘weems’. The placename is from Gaelic uaimh ‘cave’ + the placename forming suffix -es. The surname reached Ireland in the 14th century, see Wims.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Wemyss in the United States?
According to data from the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname Wemyss saw a minor decrease between 2000 and 2010. In the year 2000, Wemyss was ranked 69,428th most common in the United States but fell to the 73,215th spot by 2010 – a change of -5.45%. Despite this drop in rank, the actual count of people with the Wemyss surname barely shifted, showing a tiny increase from 264 in 2000 to 265 in 2010. The proportion of Wemyss per 100,000 people also decreased, moving from 0.1 in 2000 to 0.09 in 2010.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #69,428 | #73,215 | -5.45% |
| Count | 264 | 265 | 0.38% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.1 | 0.09 | -10% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Wemyss
The ethnicity associated with the Wemyss surname, as gleaned from Decennial U.S. Census data, mostly remained steady aside from a slight dip within White individuals and a notable rise in Hispanic representation. In 2000, White individuals represented 95.83% of those carrying the Wemyss surname, but this percentage dropped slightly to 94.72% by 2010. Interestingly, though no Hispanics were noted to have the Wemyss surname in 2000, by 2010 they accounted for 1.89% of the Wemyss population. Other ethnic identities such as Asian/Pacific Islander, Black, American Indian, and Alaskan Native, along with those identifying with two or more races, did not show any recorded changes over the decade.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 95.83% | 94.72% | -1.16% |
| Hispanic | 0% | 1.89% | 0% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Two or More Races | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Black | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0% | 0% | 0% |