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

Wheet, 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 Wheet surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Wheet in America

Wheet is the 65424th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Wheet surname appeared 303 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 Wheet.

We can also compare 2010 data for Wheet 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 Wheet

The surname WHEET has its origins in England, with early records suggesting its emergence during the medieval period, around the 12th or 13th century. The name is believed to be locational, derived from residence near a wheat field, as the Old English word "hwæte," meaning wheat, forms the basis. Variant forms such as Wheat, as well as the archaic spelling Wheet, may have been used interchangeably in early documents.

Historical references to the surname WHEET are somewhat scarce, but it does appear in various medieval manuscripts and legal documents. The name may not have found its way into highly notable collections like the Domesday Book, but parish records, tax rolls, and manorial rolls from the 13th and 14th centuries occasionally mention individuals with this surname.

One of the earliest recorded examples of the name appears to be Robert de Whet, noted in the Assize Rolls for Yorkshire in 1219. Another early instance is John de Whet, mentioned in similar rolls during the 1240s. These entries suggest that the name was indeed tied to specific regions in Northern England.

John Wheet, born circa 1395, was a notable figure who served as a local magistrate in Yorkshire. By the 15th century, the spelling of surnames was becoming more standardized, and instances like that of Elizabeth Whete in a 1432 will from Cheshire help us trace the modifications in spelling.

In the 17th century, William Wheet, born in 1642 and dying in 1708, was a prominent farmer in Nottinghamshire. The agricultural implications of the surname are evident in his trade, aligning with the etymological roots of wheat cultivation.

Thomas Wheet, an 18th-century clergyman born in 1710, made significant contributions to his local parish in Lancashire. His presence in church records and community documents further solidifies the rural and ecclesiastical aspects tied to the surname.

Moving into the 19th century, Joseph Wheet, born in 1802 and deceased in 1875, was an early industrialist in Manchester, navigating the changes brought by the Industrial Revolution. His activities are recorded in business directories and trade publications of that era.

These historical carriers of the surname WHEET highlight its continuity and the gradual evolution of its spelling and social associations, reflective of the socio-economic landscape of medieval and early modern England.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Wheet

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

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

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

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