What is the history of the last name West?

Question:

What is the history of the last name West?

People say the obvious 'they were born in the west' but I'm wondering if there's more to it.

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: Hey A Gabbi,

Things are not always as they appear. Swyrich.com says:

Origin: English

Spelling variations of this family name include: West, Weste and others.

First found in Devonshire, where they held a family seat from very ancient times.

Some of the first settlers of this family name or some of its variants were: Brient Weste settled in Newfoundland in 1730; Robert West was a merchant in St John's Newfoundland in 1794; Francis West settled in Virginia in 1608; 14 years before the "Mayflower".