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

Whilden, 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 Whilden surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Whilden in America

Whilden is the 53316th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Whilden surname appeared 388 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 Whilden.

We can also compare 2010 data for Whilden 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 Whilden

The surname Whilden has its origins in England and dates back to the medieval period, primarily appearing in areas such as the East Midlands. This surname can be linked to the Old English elements hwil, meaning "while," and denu, meaning "valley." The etymology suggests it may originally have referred to a person living in or near a valley where one would pause or tarry.

Historical records containing the surname Whilden are relatively scarce, likely because it is a variant or less common spelling of similar surnames. The surname does show some early mentions in English records. For instance, a John Whilden appears in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327.

Going back to place names, the Whilden surname may derive from specific locales. For example, there is a hamlet called Wilden in the county of Bedfordshire, although it is unclear if it directly influenced the Whilden surname. Similar sounding names and spellings, like Wilden and Wyldan, often appear in records, indicating possible variances and evolutions of the name over time.

One of the earliest recorded examples involves Robert Whilden, who was mentioned in a court document from Lincolnshire in 1379. This suggests the surname had some presence in the broader East Midlands region. Another historical figure was William Whilden, a 16th-century landowner in Oxfordshire.

In the United States, the surname appeared in South Carolina in the 18th century. Notably, Benjamin Whilden was a prominent American Revolutionary War figure, known for his involvement in key battles. Later, another descendant, Thomas Whilden, born in 1806, became known in South Carolina for his agricultural contributions and local governance.

The 19th century saw instances of the surname appearing among notable figures in community and local records. For example, John Whilden, born in 1830, was a businessman who contributed to the development of early American industry in New England. Additionally, Sarah Whilden, living in the late 1800s, made her mark in social history as an educator advocating for women's education in Marshall, North Carolina.

Therefore, the surname Whilden, with its roots tracing back to England and evolving across centuries, has woven a history rich with linguistic and cultural elements from the medieval English landscape to the early American frontier.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Whilden

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

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

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

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