2000
#79,394
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 223
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.08
Very Rare Last name
Whisenton
Likely derived from a place name referring to someone from a wheat-growing area.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 314 Americans carry the last name Whisenton. That puts it at #75,813 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.09 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,091,574 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Whisenton 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
314
1 in 1,091,574
Census rank
#75,813
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
274
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 274 bearers of the surname Whisenton in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.09 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 75813th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Whisenton, the largest self-reported group is Black at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and White (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Whisenton
The surname Whisenton has its origins in England, with its roots traceable to the medieval period, around the 12th and 13th centuries. It is believed to have originated in the rural regions, particularly in the central parts of England where surnames often developed as a means to identify people based on their place of residence or their occupation.
The name Whisenton appears to be toponymic, suggesting it is derived from a place name. The place name itself might have derived from Old English, combining the elements "whist," meaning a boundary or a bend, and "tun," meaning an enclosure or a settlement. Such a combination would likely refer to a settlement near a distinctive boundary or bend in the landscape.
One of the earliest references to a similar name appears in medieval records, notably in the Hundred Rolls of 1273 which mentions a William de Wissetun, residing in Lincolnshire. This earlier spelling, Wissetun or Wystanton, reflects the variations in the recording of names during that time and indicates the locational nature of the surname.
The Whisenton name can be found in various historical documents and records over the centuries. For example, a Thomas Whysenton is mentioned in the Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire in 1327. This instance highlights the spread of the surname to different parts of England by the early 14th century.
One notable individual bearing the surname is Sir Robert Whisenton, a knight who served under the reign of King Edward III and participated in the Battle of Poitiers in 1356. His contributions to the battle were documented in several chronicles of the time, bringing some prominence to the Whisenton name during the medieval period.
In the 16th century, the name continued to appear in various legal documents. John Whisenton, born in 1528, is recorded in the wills and probate records in London, signifying the family’s establishment in urban areas as well.
Another significant figure was Margaret Whisenton, who was an early settler in the American colonies. Born in 1605, she emigrated to Virginia in 1638, marking the transatlantic movement of the surname and its bearers as it began to spread outside England.
The surname can also be linked to various locations in England through place names that have either faded or evolved over time. For instance, there were settlements named similar to Whisendun or Wisseton, which have largely disappeared or been absorbed into larger municipalities.
This history of the surname Whisenton reflects a rich tapestry of evolution from its likely geographic origins in England, through various medieval records, and notable historical figures that carried the name forward across centuries and continents.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Whisenton
Among Census respondents with the surname Whisenton, the largest self-reported group is Black at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and White (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Whisenton 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 Whisenton surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American92.0% · 252
- Two or more races4.0% · 11
- White2.9% · 8
- Hispanic or Latino0.7% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Whisenton
Whisenton 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
#77,012
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 249
+26 bearers (+11.7%)
Per 100,000 0.08
Rank movement Up 2,382 places
2020
#75,813
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 274
+25 bearers (+10.0%)
Per 100,000 0.09
Rank movement Up 1,199 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #79,394 | 223 | 0.08 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #77,012 | 249 | 0.08 | +26 bearers (+11.7%) | Up 2,382 places |
| 2020 | #75,813 | 274 | 0.09 | +25 bearers (+10.0%) | Up 1,199 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 Whisenton 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 | #77,012 | #75,813 | 1.6% |
| Count | 249 | 274 | 10.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.08 | 0.09 | 14.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Whisenton bearers went from 249 to 274 (+10.0% change). The surname moved up 1,199 positions in the national ranking, going from #77,012 to #75,813.
FAQ
Whisenton surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Whisenton?
Name Census estimates that about 314 living Americans carry the surname Whisenton. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,091,574 residents.
How common is Whisenton?
Whisenton ranks #75,813 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.09 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 274 people with the surname Whisenton. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (314), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.09 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.09 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Whisenton.
Has Whisenton become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Whisenton went from 249 recorded bearers to 274. That is an increase of 25 (+10.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #77,012 to #75,813.
What does the Census say about the background of Whisenton?
Among Census respondents with the surname Whisenton, the largest self-reported group is Black at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and White (2.9%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Whisenton in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.0% (252 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Whisenton appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (92.0%), Two or More Races (4.0%), White (2.9%). 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 Whisenton (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 Whisenton mean?
Likely derived from a place name referring to someone from a wheat-growing area. 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 Whisenton (0.09 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 are called Whisenton?
See how many Americans have the surname Whisenton on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.