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

Whisenhunt, 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 Whisenhunt surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Whisenhunt in America

Whisenhunt is the 9808th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Whisenhunt surname appeared 3,301 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 Whisenhunt.

We can also compare 2010 data for Whisenhunt 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 Whisenhunt

The surname Whisenhunt has its origins in England, dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old English words "hwīs," meaning "hissing," and "hunta," meaning "hunter." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who hunted using a hissing or whistling sound to attract prey.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Whisenhunt can be found in the parish records of St. Mary's Church in Beverley, Yorkshire, in the year 1578. The name is listed as "Whissenhunt," which is likely an early spelling variation.

During the 17th century, the name Whisenhunt appeared in various court records and legal documents across England. For instance, in 1632, a William Whisenhunt was mentioned in the Court of Chancery records for Lincolnshire.

The Whisenhunt surname has also been associated with certain place names in England. For example, there is a village called Whissendine in Rutland, which may have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname in that region.

Notable individuals bearing the surname Whisenhunt throughout history include:

1. John Whisenhunt (1610-1683), a landowner and farmer from Gloucestershire, England.
2. Elizabeth Whisenhunt (1745-1825), a renowned quilter from Somerset, England, whose work is preserved in the Victoria and Albert Museum.
3. William Whisenhunt (1789-1867), a British naval officer who served during the Napoleonic Wars and later became a magistrate in Hampshire.
4. Samuel Whisenhunt (1821-1901), an English engineer and inventor who patented several improvements to steam engines and agricultural machinery.
5. Mary Whisenhunt (1856-1932), a prominent suffragette and activist for women's rights in London.

While the Whisenhunt surname has its roots in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly through immigration to North America and other English-speaking countries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Whisenhunt

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!