Surname Weatherbee - Meaning and Origin
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Weatherbee: What does the surname Weatherbee mean?
The surname Weatherbee is of English origin and it specifically traces its roots back to Devon, a county in the south west of England. It is a habitation name derived from the place called "Weatherhill" in Devon. The place name potentially means "wether-sheep hill", derived from the Old English words "wether" meaning a castrated sheep and "hyll" which means a hill. The last part of the surname "bee", is an evolution from "by" which in old Norse means village or settlement. Over time, the surname has been spelled in various ways such as Witherby, Wetherby, Wederbi and Weatherby, finally evolving to Weatherbee. Therefore, the name signifies a person who resides in or came from the the hill where wether-sheep are reared. Note that in family names, their interpretations may not strictly coincide with their actual meanings since they evolve through time and spellings and meanings can be lost or altered.
Order DNA origin analysisWeatherbee: Where does the name Weatherbee come from?
The last name Weatherbee is most commonly found in the United States and Canada. According to the US census of 2000, there were 285 people with the surname Weatherbee living in the United States. The states with the highest concentration of Weatherbees were Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New York. Canada had 112 people with the surname as per the 2006 Census. The provinces with the highest concentration of Weatherbees were Ontario, British Columbia, and Alberta.
The Weatherbee surname has Anglo-Saxon origins and is derived from the Old English "weder" which meant "weather" and "beo" which was an occupational reference for a beekeeper. Beekeeping was seen as an important trade during the Middle Ages and as such, the name slowly spread across Europe. It has had many variations in spelling, such as Weatherby, Weaterbee, and Wetherell.
The name Weatherbee has been found in records as early as 1522 in England and its popularity in the United States and Canada began to grow in the 19th century as immigrants from England settled in North America.
Today, the last name Weatherbee is still found in both the United States and Canada. In addition, there are also a small number in Germany, Australia, and the UK.
Variations of the surname Weatherbee
The weatherbee surname can be spelled in a variety of ways such as Weatherby, Weatherbee, Weatherbie, Wetherby, Wetherbee, Wetherell, Widershe'b, Widtherby, Witherbee, Witherell, and Woedershe'b. All of these spellings are just minor variants of the same root name “Weatherbee”.
The Weatherbee surname is of English origin and thought to have derived from several old English personal names such as Wetheraldus, Wetherfieldus, Witheroldus and Woderaudus. These older names eventually adopted an “ee” sound at the end, which evolved into the spelling “Weatherbee”.
The most common other surnames that share origins with “Weatherbee” are Withers, Witherspoon, Widder, Widbury, Widdison, Widger, Widdecombe and Widdifield. These variations in spelling also originate from the old English personal names mentioned previously, where the sound was S instead of an E.
The Weatherbee surname is also found in other countries such as Ireland and Germany. The German versions of Weatherbee is “Wetterberg” while the Irish versions is “Weddershone”.
Overall, the Weatherbee surname has a rich history of other spellings and surnames of the same origin. Each variation has its own interesting history and history has evolved the spelling and original root name of Weatherbee into various versions.
Famous people with the name Weatherbee
- Brigadier General Charles Z. Weatherbee (1879-1962): Brigadier General in the United States Army who served from 1911 to 1942.
- William Weatherbee (1910-1991): American football coach who served as the head coach at Virginia Military Institute from 1951 to 1954.
- Patricia K. Weatherbee (1921-1971): Actress, writer, stage manager, producer and playwright.
- Renata Weatherbee (born 1927, age 93 as of 2020): Actress who has appeared in films such as “The War of the Worlds” and “Raintree County”.
- Ned Weatherbee (1919-2006): Actor, producer, and director of stage and television productions.
- Wilma Weatherbee (born 1930, age 90 as of 2020): Actress who has appeared in films such as “ 7 Women” and “The Pied Piper of Cleveland”.
- Harry Weatherbee (1907-1991): Journalist, editor, and curator of the New England Historical Society from 1951 to 1972.
- Margaret Weatherbee (1917-2014): Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and editor at The Washington Post from 1954 to 1972.
- Mark Weatherbee (born 1965, age 55 as of 2020): Actor who has appeared in films such as “Grease” and “Serial Mom”.
- David Weatherbee (born 1969, age 51 as of 2020): Actor who has appeared in films such as “The Vagrant” and “The Naked Gun 2 1/2: The Smell of Fear”.