Find out how popular the last name Wharton is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Wharton.

Wharton, 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 Wharton surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Wharton in America

Wharton is the 3084th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Wharton surname appeared 11,656 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 4 people would have the surname Wharton.

We can also compare 2010 data for Wharton 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.

The history of the last name Wharton

The surname Wharton is of English origin, derived from the Old English words "hwr" meaning a"at" and "tun" meaning "enclosure or settlement". It originally referred to a person who lived near a settlement or enclosure.

The name is first recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as "Huertone" and "Hverton", referring to places in Yorkshire and Cheshire. The earliest recorded spelling of the surname itself is Whuerton, found in the Assize Court Rolls of Yorkshire in 1219.

In the 13th century, the name was also recorded as Wherton, Wharton, and Whartone. These variations reflect the regional dialects and spellings used at the time. The modern spelling of Wharton became more standardized in the 16th century.

Notable historical figures with the surname Wharton include:

1. Thomas Wharton (1495-1568), an English priest and one of the first Protestant martyrs, burned at the stake during the reign of Queen Mary I.

2. Philip Wharton, 4th Baron Wharton (1613-1696), an English nobleman and military commander who fought for the Parliamentarians during the English Civil War.

3. Thomas Wharton, 1st Marquess of Wharton (1648-1715), an English nobleman and Whig politician who served as Lord Lieutenant of Ireland.

4. Anne Wharton (1659-1685), an English poet and writer, one of the first female authors to be published in English.

5. Edith Wharton (1862-1937), a renowned American novelist and short story writer, known for works such as "The Age of Innocence" and "Ethan Frome".

The name Wharton is also associated with several place names in England, including Wharton, a village in Cheshire, and Wharton Hill, a suburb of Durham.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Wharton

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Wharton.

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:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Wharton was:

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 Wharton has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

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 Wharton was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Wharton, please contact us.

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