2000
#60,557
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 311
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.12
Very Rare Last name
Whedon
Whedon is an English locational surname derived from a place name meaning "wheat hill".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 339 Americans carry the last name Whedon. That puts it at #71,105 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.10 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,011,075 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Whedon 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.
Bearers in the US
339
1 in 1,011,075
Census rank
#71,105
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
296
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 296 bearers of the surname Whedon in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.10 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 71105th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Whedon, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.4%) and Black (1.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Whedon
The surname Whedon is of English origin and can be traced back to the early medieval period. It is primarily associated with the geographic regions of Buckinghamshire and Northamptonshire in England. The name itself may be derived from a place name; in this instance, it likely originates from Weedon, a village in Buckinghamshire, which in Old English was known as Weodun, meaning "hill overgrown with weeds."
The name Whedon appears in historical records, with one of its earliest mentions found in the Domesday Book of 1086. The Domesday Book, commissioned by William the Conqueror, provides one of the first thorough surveys of England, listing places, people, and landholdings. Weedon, from which Whedon is derived, was listed in this historic manuscript confirming its significance during medieval times.
Historically, the earliest recorded instance of the surname in its modern form can be traced to the late 13th century. John de Whedon is noted in tax records from the year 1273, illustrating the surname's early use as a means of identification and indicating an association with the village of Weedon. Another historical figure, Thomas Whedon, is mentioned in the Subsidy Rolls for Worcestershire in 1332, further cementing the surname's presence in historical documentation.
Place names associated with the surname include Weedon Lois and Weedon Bec, both situated in Northamptonshire. These places were historically significant and may have contributed to the spread of the surname beyond their immediate geographic origins.
Several notable individuals have carried the surname Whedon through history. Philo Taylor Farnsworth’s contemporaneous inventor George Whedon, born in 1792 and died in 1857, made significant contributions in the field of telegraphy alongside Samuel Morse. Reverend James Whedon, born in 1802 and died in 1882, was a distinguished theologian and educator who influenced religious education in the 19th century.
Moving to the 20th century, John Whedon, born in 1905 and died in 1991, was an American screenwriter and playwright contributing to numerous classic television shows. John Whedon's descendants include notable cultural figures such as his son Tom Whedon, born in 1932 and died in 2016, a television producer and screenwriter influential in the early days of children's television programming.
The Whedon family name carries a rich history intertwining with regional developments and notable contributions in various fields across different centuries. Its roots are deeply embedded in English heritage, with significant influence from the villages of Buckinghamshire and Northamptonshire. Through historical text and tax records, the enduring legacy of the Whedon name is well documented.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Whedon
Among Census respondents with the surname Whedon, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.4%) and Black (1.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Whedon 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 Whedon surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.6% · 277
- Two or more races4.4% · 13
- Black or African American1.4% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Whedon
Whedon appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#65,964
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 300
-11 bearers (-3.5%)
Per 100,000 0.10
Rank movement Down 5,407 places
2020
#71,105
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 296
-4 bearers (-1.3%)
Per 100,000 0.10
Rank movement Down 5,141 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #60,557 | 311 | 0.12 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #65,964 | 300 | 0.10 | -11 bearers (-3.5%) | Down 5,407 places |
| 2020 | #71,105 | 296 | 0.10 | -4 bearers (-1.3%) | Down 5,141 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 Whedon 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 | #65,964 | #71,105 | -7.8% |
| Count | 300 | 296 | -1.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.10 | 0.10 | -1.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Whedon bearers went from 300 to 296 (-1.3% change). The surname moved down 5,141 positions in the national ranking, going from #65,964 to #71,105.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Whedon
FAQ
Whedon surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Whedon?
Name Census estimates that about 339 living Americans carry the surname Whedon. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,011,075 residents.
How common is Whedon?
Whedon ranks #71,105 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.10 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 296 people with the surname Whedon. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (339), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.1 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.10 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 Whedon.
Has Whedon become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Whedon went from 300 recorded bearers to 296. That is a decrease of 4 (-1.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #65,964 to #71,105.
What does the Census say about the background of Whedon?
Among Census respondents with the surname Whedon, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.4%) and Black (1.4%). 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 Whedon in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.6% (277 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Whedon appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.6%), Two or More Races (4.4%), Black (1.4%). 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 Whedon (2000, 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 Whedon mean?
Whedon is an English locational surname derived from a place name meaning "wheat hill". 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 Whedon (0.10 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 are called Whedon?
For a quick modern take, check how many people are called Whedon on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.