Westen is a modern spelling of Weston, an English surname and place name made of the Old English words for west and tun, so it means "western town" or "west settlement". The -en ending gives it the look of names like Jensen and Camden. Westen has gained slowly in the wake of Weston's popularity, moving from number 3,914 in 2000 to number 1,239 in 2025, its best rank so far.