Find out how popular the last name Whann is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Whann.
A variant spelling of the Anglo-Saxon surname derived from the Medieval personal name "Wann".
Whann, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Whann surname is from the 2010 census data.
Whann is the 108199th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.
The Whann surname appeared 164 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Whann.
We can also compare 2010 data for Whann to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.
| 2010 | 2000 | Change (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | 108199 | 119644 | -10.05% |
| Count | 164 | 134 | 20.13% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.06 | 0.05 | 18.18% |
The surname Whann is believed to have originated in Scotland, particularly in the regions of Lanarkshire and Dumfriesshire. Records suggest that the name emerged in the late medieval period, around the 14th or 15th century. It is thought to have come from old Scottish or Middle English roots, possibly linked to a place or a descriptive term in the Scots language.
The name Whann may derive from the Old English word "wann," which means pale or wan, a term that might have been used descriptively. Another possibility is that it originated from the Gaelic "Mhic an Fhionn," which translates roughly to "son of the fair one." Over time, the name could have evolved in spelling and pronunciation, leading to various iterations such as Wanne or Wawn, found in older documents.
Historical references to the name Whann are sparse, but it does appear in certain Scottish parish records and legal documents from the 16th and 17th centuries. One of the earliest recorded examples is John Whann, who is mentioned in the parish records of Lanark in 1561. The Whann family was often noted in association with agriculture and small-scale trade, common occupations in these regions during this period.
Another historical figure is Robert Whann, who appears in legal charters from Dumfriesshire around 1624. The name also surfaces in maritime records; William Whann was a shipowner in the port of Glasgow in the early 1700s, with records indicating his active participation in the coastal trade between Scotland and Ireland.
In the 18th century, Janet Whann, born in 1715, was noted in local church records in Ayrshire for her charitable work and involvement in the local community. The Whann family appears to have maintained a presence in southwestern Scotland, particularly in areas such as Ayr and Dumfries, throughout the centuries.
A notable later figure is James Whann, an early 19th-century industrialist born in 1783 in Lanarkshire. He played a role in the establishment of textile mills during the Industrial Revolution. Records of his contributions to the local economy and written correspondences provide insights into the life of a businessman during that transformative period in Scottish history.
While not widely known, the surname Whann carries with it a rich tapestry of Scottish heritage, reflecting the evolution of language, social structures, and economic roles from the medieval period to the industrial era.
We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Whann.
The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:
For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Whann was:
| Race/Ethnicity | Percentage | Total Occurrences |
|---|---|---|
| Non-Hispanic White Only | 91.46% | 150 |
| Non-Hispanic Black Only | (S)% | (S) |
| Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only | (S)% | (S) |
| Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.00% | 0 |
| Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races | 0.00% | 0 |
| Hispanic Origin | 7.32% | 12 |
Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.
Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Whann has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.
| 2010 | 2000 | Change (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 91.46% | 94.03% | -2.77% |
| Black | (S)% | (S)% | (S)% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | (S)% | (S)% | (S)% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% |
| Two or More Races | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% |
| Hispanic | 7.32% | 5.22% | 33.49% |
The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.
The history and meaning of the name Whann was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.
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