| ![Show Contents]() Westra History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
- Origins Available:
England
Early Origins of the Westra familyThe surname Westra was first found in Cumberland where they held a family seat on the English/Scottish border. After the Norman Conquest of England many of Duke William's rebellious Barons moved north. The border became a convenient no-man's land. Notable families such as the Percy, the Umfravilles and the Nevilles gathered many supporting clans around them. In the 16th century they became known as the 'unruly clans'. In that century, many of those clans drove their herds south, and they settled in Yorkshire and Lancashire. The name was first recorded in Lincolnshire but as did many Norman nobles the name moved north to Northumberland when William Westreys held estates in 1219. In 1292, Roger de Westwra held the lands of Westwra in Cumberland. Alternatively, the family could have originated in the lands of Westray on the island of Westray, Orkney. In this case, the earliest record of the name was Lord Michael de Westray, knight who witnessed a charter by Henry de St. Clair, Earl of Orkney, apud Kirkwaw (Kirkwall), in 1391. 1 Early History of the Westra familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Westra research. Another 128 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1391 and 1613 are included under the topic Early Westra History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Westra Spelling VariationsSpelling variations of this family name include: Westwra, Westwray, Westwrey, Westray, Westrey, Westraigh, Westwrow, Westwro, Westroe and many more. Early Notables of the Westra familyMore information is included under the topic Early Westra Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Westra Rankingthe United States, the name Westra is the 17,087th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 2 However, in Netherlands, the name Westra is ranked the 320th most popular surname with an estimated 4,752 people with that name. 3 Migration of the Westra familySome of the first settlers of this family name or some of its variants were: settlers, who arrived along the eastern seaboard, from Newfoundland, to Maine, to Virginia, the Carolinas, and to the islands.
| Contemporary Notables of the name Westra (post 1700) | + |
- Anna Jacoba Westra CNZM (1936-2023), known as Ans Westra, Dutch-born New Zealand photographer, well known for her depictions of Maori life in the 20th century
- Lieuwe Westra (1982-2023), Dutch professional racing cyclist who rode professionally between 2006 and 2016
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