2000
#14,467
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,892
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.70
Rare Last name
Whidden
A surname of English origin, derived from a place name meaning "white valley" or "wide valley."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,064 Americans carry the last name Whidden. That puts it at #15,624 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.60 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 166,063 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Whidden 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
2.1K
1 in 166,063
Census rank
#15,624
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,800 bearers of the surname Whidden in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.60 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15624th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Whidden, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.7%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Whidden
Among Census respondents with the surname Whidden, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.7%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Whidden 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 Whidden surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.3% · 1,626
- Two or more races4.7% · 84
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 61
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 10
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 10
- Black or African American0.5% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Whidden
Whidden 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
#14,612
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,037
+145 bearers (+7.7%)
Per 100,000 0.69
Rank movement Down 145 places
2020
#15,624
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,800
-237 bearers (-11.6%)
Per 100,000 0.60
Rank movement Down 1,012 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,467 | 1,892 | 0.70 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,612 | 2,037 | 0.69 | +145 bearers (+7.7%) | Down 145 places |
| 2020 | #15,624 | 1,800 | 0.60 | -237 bearers (-11.6%) | Down 1,012 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 Whidden 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 | #14,612 | #15,624 | -6.9% |
| Count | 2,037 | 1,800 | -11.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.69 | 0.60 | -12.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Whidden bearers went from 2,037 to 1,800 (-11.6% change). The surname moved down 1,012 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,612 to #15,624.
FAQ
Whidden surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Whidden?
Name Census estimates that about 2,064 living Americans carry the surname Whidden. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 166,063 residents.
How common is Whidden?
Whidden ranks #15,624 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.60 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,800 people with the surname Whidden. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,064), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.6 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.60 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Whidden.
Has Whidden become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Whidden went from 2,037 recorded bearers to 1,800. That is a decrease of 237 (-11.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,612 to #15,624.
What does the Census say about the background of Whidden?
Among Census respondents with the surname Whidden, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.7%) and Hispanic (3.4%). 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 Whidden in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.3% (1,626 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Whidden appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.3%), Two or More Races (4.7%), Hispanic (3.4%). 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 Whidden (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 Whidden mean?
A surname of English origin, derived from a place name meaning "white valley" or "wide valley." 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 Whidden (0.60 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 last name Whidden?
You can see how many people have the surname Whidden on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.