Wharton
An English surname derived from a place name referring to a farm or town.
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Wharton. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Wharton today is around 83 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Wharton births was 1923 (7 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Wharton. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Wharton is about 83 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Whartons were born before 1953.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Wharton. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
1923
7 babies that year
Average age
83
years old
1939 SSA rank
#3,955
Tracked since 1917
Popularity
Wharton: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Wharton from the 1910s through to the 1930s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 17 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Wharton by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Wharton during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Wharton
The name Wharton originates from Old English, derived from the words "hweorf" meaning "homestead" and "tun" meaning "enclosure" or "settlement." It initially referred to a person living at a homestead or farm settlement. The name gained prominence in the Anglo-Saxon period, particularly in areas of modern-day England and parts of northern Europe influenced by Anglo-Saxon culture.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Wharton can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landowners and estates commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The book mentions several individuals with the name Wharton, indicating its widespread use among the Anglo-Saxon population at the time.
In the 12th century, the name Wharton appeared in various historical records and charters, such as the Pipe Rolls and the Cartulary of Rievaulx Abbey. These documents provide evidence of the name's continued use and its association with landowners and prominent families.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Wharton. One of the earliest was Wharton of Wharton, a 12th-century English nobleman and landowner in Lancashire. Another prominent figure was Thomas Wharton, 1st Baron Wharton (c. 1495-1568), an English statesman and military commander during the reigns of Henry VIII and Edward VI.
During the 17th century, Philip Wharton, 4th Baron Wharton (1613-1696), was a prominent English politician and military leader who played a significant role in the English Civil War and the Glorious Revolution. His son, Thomas Wharton, 1st Marquess of Wharton (1648-1715), was a renowned statesman, author, and influential Whig politician in the late 17th and early 18th centuries.
Another notable figure was Anne Wharton (1659-1685), an English poet and writer who was highly regarded for her literary talents during the Restoration period. Her poetry collection, "Poems on Several Occasions," was published posthumously in 1688.
In the 19th century, Francis Wharton (1820-1889) was an American lawyer and legal scholar who made significant contributions to the study of criminal law and procedure. He served as a professor at Boston University and authored several influential legal texts.
These examples demonstrate the long-standing presence and historical significance of the name Wharton across various periods and regions, particularly in England and the United States.
People
Wharton + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Wharton as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with W
Other first names starting with W with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Wharton: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Wharton?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Wharton going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 68,550,868 US residents.
Is Wharton a common name?
We classify Wharton as "Very Rare". It ranks above 18.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 38 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Wharton most popular?
The single biggest year for Wharton was 1923, when 7 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Wharton is about 83 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Wharton in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Wharton a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Wharton in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Wharton still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Wharton in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Wharton can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people have the name Wharton?
See how many Americans are named Wharton on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.