11,579 Global WESTMORELAND Family Members

WESTMORELAND Family History

Recorded as Westmoreland, Westmorland, Westmerland, and what may be a southern dialectal of Westmarland, this is an English regional surname. It describes a person from the former county of Westmorland, now part of Cumbria. The placename was originally called Westmoringaland, meaning the territory of the people living west of the Yorkshire moors, and the derivation is from the Olde English pre 7th century words "west-mor-ingas-landa". Locational surnames usually developed when former inhabitants of a place moved to another area, often to seek work, and were best identified by the name of their birthplace.