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

Whidden, 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 Whidden surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Whidden in America

Whidden is the 14612th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Whidden surname appeared 2,037 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Whidden.

We can also compare 2010 data for Whidden 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 Whidden

The surname Whidden is believed to have originated in England, specifically in the county of Devon, during the 13th or 14th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old English word "hwit," meaning white, and may have initially referred to someone with pale or light-colored hair or complexion.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Devon from 1327, which lists a John Whytyn. The spelling variations of the name during this period included Whytyn, Whytene, and Whytten, among others.

In the 16th century, the surname appeared in various parish records across Devon, such as the baptismal record of Johane Whidden in Coleridge in 1565. This period also saw the emergence of the spelling "Whidden," which became more prevalent in the following centuries.

While no direct connections to famous individuals from earlier times have been confirmed, the name has been associated with several notable figures throughout history. One such individual was Edward Whidden (1580-1650), an English clergyman and author who served as the Rector of St. Mary's Church in Tavistock, Devon, in the early 17th century.

Another notable bearer of the surname was John Whidden (1723-1806), an American Revolutionary War soldier from New Hampshire. He fought in several battles, including the Battle of Bunker Hill, and was later granted a pension for his service.

In the 19th century, the Whidden surname gained prominence with individuals like William Whidden (1805-1878), a successful merchant and shipowner from Maine, and Samuel Whidden (1830-1905), a respected educator and school administrator in New Hampshire.

The name has also been linked to several place names in Devon, such as Whidden Down, a hamlet near Tavistock, and Whidden Lane, a road in the village of Chillaton. These toponyms may have derived from the surname itself or could have influenced its development.

As the centuries passed, the Whidden family continued to spread across various regions, particularly in the United Kingdom, the United States, and Canada, with many individuals contributing to their respective communities and professions.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Whidden

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

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

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

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