Whitmore
A masculine English name meaning "white meadow" or "bright meadow".
Name Census estimates that about 0 living Americans carry the first name Whitmore. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Whitmore today is around 0 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Whitmore births was 1915 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Whitmore. 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
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Whitmore. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
0
~ - Americans
Peak year
1915
5 babies that year
Average age
-
1915 SSA rank
#4,379
Tracked since 1915
Popularity
Whitmore: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Whitmore 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 Whitmore during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1910s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Whitmore
The given name Whitmore has its origins in the English language and can be traced back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old English words "hwit" meaning white, and "mor" meaning moor or marsh, suggesting that the name may have originally referred to someone who lived near a white or light-colored marsh or wetland area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Whitmore can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of land ownership and taxation in England completed in 1086 by order of William the Conqueror. In this document, the name appears as "Witmer" and "Witmor," suggesting that the modern spelling of Whitmore evolved over time.
During the Middle Ages, the name Whitmore was particularly prevalent in the counties of Staffordshire and Shropshire in the West Midlands region of England. Historical records from this period include several notable individuals bearing the name, such as Sir John Whitmore (c. 1300-1360), a knight who fought in the Hundred Years' War between England and France.
As the centuries passed, the name Whitmore spread beyond its initial geographic confines and gained recognition in various fields. One notable bearer of the name was George Whitmore (1636-1723), an English poet and clergyman who authored several religious works during the Restoration period.
In the 19th century, the name gained prominence in the United States, with individuals like James Whitmore (1822-1891), a Union Army officer who served with distinction during the American Civil War, and William Whitmore (1836-1900), a prominent lawyer and judge in Massachusetts.
Other notable individuals named Whitmore include Richard Whitmore (1914-2005), an American stage and film actor best known for his roles in movies such as "The Caine Mutiny" and "The Next Voice You Hear..."; and James Whitmore Jr. (1948-2009), an American actor and director who appeared in numerous television shows and films, including "The Shawshank Redemption."
People
Whitmore + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Whitmore 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
Whitmore: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Whitmore?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 0 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Whitmore 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 - US residents.
Is Whitmore a common name?
We classify Whitmore as "Very Rare". It ranks above 2.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Whitmore most popular?
The single biggest year for Whitmore was 1915, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Whitmore is about 0 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 Whitmore in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Whitmore a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Whitmore 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 Whitmore still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Whitmore 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 Whitmore 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 share the name Whitmore?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the name Whitmore on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.