2010
#151,532
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Whately
A locative surname derived from a place name meaning "white plain" or "wheat field".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 126 Americans carry the last name Whately. That puts it at #149,446 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,720,273 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Whately surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Whately with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
126
1 in 2,720,273
Census rank
#149,446
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
110
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 110 bearers of the surname Whately in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 149446th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Whately, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.7%. The next largest groups are Black (10.9%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Whately
The surname Whately finds its origins in England, dating back to the medieval period. It is thought to derive from the Old English words "hwæt," meaning "a wether" (a castrated ram), and "leah," which means a clearing in the wood or meadow. This suggests that the original bearers of the name were either shepherds or lived in a place characterized by such clearings.
The earliest known instances of the surname can be traced to Worcestershire and Oxfordshire, areas in England where pastoral farming was prevalent. Variations and older spellings include "Wheatley," which also indicates a similar meaning and points to the agricultural practices of the time. One of the earliest recorded examples of the name appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, where a "Walter de Wheatla" is mentioned as a landholder in Oxfordshire.
Important historical references include Robert Whately, an English political figure born in 1583 and who served as a Member of Parliament for Ludlow until his death in 1642. His contributions to early modern English governance have been documented in the parliamentary records of the era. Another notable figure was William Whately, a prominent Puritan clergyman born in 1583 who was known for his religious writings and efforts in the Protestant Reformation. He died in 1634, leaving behind a legacy of theological works that influenced English religious thought.
Elizabeth Whately, born in 1799, also made a significant mark on history as the wife of the renowned Archbishop Richard Whately. Elizabeth was noted for her literary contributions and played an instrumental role in documenting and supporting her husband's ecclesiastical work until her death in 1860.
In later history, Thomas Whately, born in 1726 and dying in 1772, was a political figure and a writer who served as a Member of Parliament. He is perhaps best known for his work "Observations on Modern Gardening," which significantly influenced the development of English landscape gardening in the 18th century. His insights on aesthetics and natural beauty were revolutionary at the time.
Lastly, Mary Whately, the daughter of the Archbishop Richard Whately, was born in 1824. She made notable contributions to literature and education in Egypt, where she worked as a missionary and educator, significantly impacting the lives and educational opportunities of Egyptian women. Her dedication lasted until her death in 1889.
The Whately surname has thus carved a niche in English history, embedded in the regions of Worcestershire and Oxfordshire and reflected in various historical documents and records over the centuries. Despite its antiquity, it carries with it a legacy of pastoralism, religious reform, politics, and education that spans various centuries and domains.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Whately
Among Census respondents with the surname Whately, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.7%. The next largest groups are Black (10.9%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Whately bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Whately surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White82.7% · 91
- Black or African American10.9% · 12
- Two or more races2.7% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.8% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Whately
Whately appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#149,446
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
+2 bearers (+1.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 2,086 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #151,532 | 108 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #149,446 | 110 | 0.04 | +2 bearers (+1.9%) | Up 2,086 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Whately surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #151,532 | #149,446 | 1.4% |
| Count | 108 | 110 | 1.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Whately bearers went from 108 to 110 (+1.9% change). The surname moved up 2,086 positions in the national ranking, going from #151,532 to #149,446.
FAQ
Whately surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Whately?
Name Census estimates that about 126 living Americans carry the surname Whately. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,720,273 residents.
How common is Whately?
Whately ranks #149,446 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 110 people with the surname Whately. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (126), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Whately.
Has Whately become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Whately went from 108 recorded bearers to 110. That is an increase of 2 (+1.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #151,532 to #149,446.
What does the Census say about the background of Whately?
Among Census respondents with the surname Whately, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.7%. The next largest groups are Black (10.9%) and Two or More Races (2.7%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Whately in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.7% (91 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Whately appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (82.7%), Black (10.9%), Two or More Races (2.7%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Whately (2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Whately mean?
A locative surname derived from a place name meaning "white plain" or "wheat field". The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Whately (0.04 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the surname Whately?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.