Westlake History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms 

Origins Available: 
  England 


The Westlake history begins in Cornwall, a rugged coastal region in southwestern England. Quite distinct from Devon, the adjoining county, Cornwall had its own spoken language until the late 18th century. The Westlake history began here. The manner in which hereditary surnames arose is interesting. Local surnames were derived from where the original bearer lived, was born, or held land. Unlike most Celtic peoples, who favored patronymic names, the Cornish predominantly used local surnames. The Westlake family originally lived in Devon.Westlake is a topographic surname, which was given to a person who resided near a physical feature such as a hill, stream, church, or type of tree. Habitation names form the other broad category of surnames that were derived from place-names. They were derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads. Other local names are derived from the names of houses, manors, estates, regions, and entire counties. As a general rule, the greater the distance between an individual and their homeland, the larger the territory they were named after. For example, a person who only moved to another parish would be known by the name of their original village, while people who migrated to a different country were often known by the name of a region or country from which they came. The name Westlake indicates that the original bearer lived by the westernmost of a group of lakes.

Early Origins of the Westlake family

The surname Westlake was first found in Devon where the place name, Westlake is still found today near Langbrook and Marjery Cross. Ironically, the place name is not near a lake. Today there are no fewer that seven places named Westlake in the United States, and one each in Australia and New Zealand.

In the parish of Kilkhampton, Cornwall, "Elmsworthy, which was for some time a seat of the Westlakes, is now a farm house, the property of Mr. Galsworthy, of Hartland. The last of the Westlake family died in 1772 in such indigent circumstances, that he was supported by the parish. It is a singular fact, that this man, the representative of a wealthy family, was twice nominated as sheriff of the county, while he was an inhabitant of the parish poorhouse. Such is the instability of all human greatness! Within the church there are many splendid monuments of the Grenville family, and memorials of the Orchards of Aldercombe, the Westlakes of Elmsworthy, and the Waddons of Tonacombe in Moorwinstow." 1

Early History of the Westlake family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Westlake research. Another 82 words (6 lines of text) covering the year 1333 is included under the topic Early Westlake History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Westlake Spelling Variations

Cornish surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. The frequent changes in surnames are due to the fact that the Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules. The official court languages, which were Latin and French, were also influential on the spelling of a surname. Since the spelling of surnames was rarely consistent in medieval times, and scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded rather than adhering to any specific spelling rules, it was common to find the same individual referred to with different spellings of their surname in the ancient chronicles. Moreover, a large number of foreign names were brought into England, which accelerated and accentuated the alterations to the spelling of various surnames. Lastly, spelling variations often resulted from the linguistic differences between the people of Cornwall and the rest of England. The Cornish spoke a unique Brythonic Celtic language which was first recorded in written documents during the 10th century. However, they became increasingly Anglicized, and Cornish became extinct as a spoken language in 1777, although it has been revived by Cornish patriots in the modern era. The name has been spelled Westlake, Westlock, Westloke, Weslake and others.

Early Notables of the Westlake family

Notable amongst the family at this time was

Westlake Ranking

In the United States, the name Westlake is the 10,544th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 2


Westlake migration to the United States +

Discovered in the immigration and passenger lists were a number of people bearing the name Westlake:

Westlake Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
Westlake Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
Westlake Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Westlake migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Westlake Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Westlake migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Westlake Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Westlake migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Westlake Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Contemporary Notables of the name Westlake (post 1700) +
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