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

Wheaton, 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 Wheaton surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Wheaton in America

Wheaton is the 3847th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Wheaton surname appeared 9,202 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname Wheaton.

We can also compare 2010 data for Wheaton 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 Wheaton

The surname Wheaton has its origins in England, dating back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English word "hwæte," which means wheat, and the word "tun," meaning a farm or an enclosure. Thus, the name likely referred to someone who lived near a wheat farm or a wheat enclosure.

Wheaton is believed to have originated in the counties of Shropshire and Staffordshire, where there are several places named Wheaton or variations of the name, such as Wheaton Aston and Wheaton Under Hill. These place names likely gave rise to the surname.

The earliest recorded instance of the surname Wheaton can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is listed as "Whetone." This suggests that the name was already well-established by the late 11th century.

One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Sir Thomas de Wheaton, a knight who lived in the 13th century and served under King Edward I. Another notable figure was John Wheaton, born in 1594, who was a Puritan settler in Massachusetts Bay Colony and one of the founders of the town of Rehoboth.

In the 17th century, the Wheaton family played a significant role in the English Civil War. Robert Wheaton (1609-1694) was a prominent Parliamentarian and served as a colonel in Oliver Cromwell's army. His son, Obadiah Wheaton (1647-1719), also fought for the Parliamentarians and later became a Baptist minister.

Another notable figure was William Wheaton (1708-1785), an English poet and clergyman who was known for his translations of Virgil's Eclogues and Horace's Odes. He was also a fellow of the Royal Society.

In the 19th century, Henry Wheaton (1785-1848) was a prominent American lawyer, diplomat, and scholar who is best known for his work on international law. His seminal work, "Elements of International Law," published in 1836, became a standard reference in the field.

Throughout history, the surname Wheaton has been spelled in various ways, including Whetone, Wheatton, and Wheatone, reflecting the evolution of the English language and regional variations in pronunciation and spelling.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Wheaton

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

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

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

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