The Origins of the West Family Name

The use of surnames appears to have started in about the year 1000 AD, introduced to the British Isles by the Normans during the 11th century. They were a way of further identifying people, many of whom had the same given name and lived in the same place. They were usually patronymic (eg: John son of Richard), local (eg: John by the Brook), a trade name (eg: John the Smith), or a nickname (eg: John the Little).

The surname West is first found in in Devonshire, where they had been seated from very ancient times.

The name West means "from the west," and early records show Maurice de West in 1152 residing in Colchester, Essex and a Goche West listed in the Pipe Rolls in Norfolk in 1197 - having settled in the region "from the west."

The ancient family motto was "Jour de Ma Vie" (French), meaning "Day of My Life."

A spelling variation is: Weste.

Some of the first recorded American settlers with the name of West or Weste were:
Brient Weste -  settled in Newfoundland in 1730
Robert West  - a merchant in St. John's, Newfoundland in 1794
Francis West  - settled in Virginia in 1608, 14 years before the "Mayflower"
Thomas West - Lord De la Warr, first Governor of Virginia