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

Whisnant, 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 Whisnant surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Whisnant in America

Whisnant is the 10993rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Whisnant surname appeared 2,893 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 Whisnant.

We can also compare 2010 data for Whisnant 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 Whisnant

The surname Whisnant is of English origin, derived from the Old English words "hwis" meaning "whistle" and "nant" meaning "valley". It is believed to have originated in the 12th century as a descriptive name for someone who lived in a whistling valley or for someone who was known for their whistling abilities.

The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in various medieval records from counties in the south of England, such as Wiltshire and Somerset. One of the earliest known references is in the Feet of Fines for Norfolk in 1205, which mentions a Robert Whisnant.

In the 13th century, the name appeared in its more modern spelling in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1273, which lists a John Whisnant. This suggests that the spelling had become more standardized by this time.

During the 14th century, the name was found in various tax records and legal documents across southern England. Notable examples include a William Whisnant mentioned in the Subsidy Rolls for Wiltshire in 1332 and a Thomas Whisnant recorded in the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in Yorkshire in 1379.

In the 15th century, the name began to spread further across England, with records showing Whisnants in counties such as Gloucestershire and Dorset. One notable figure from this time was John Whisnant, a wool merchant from Bristol who was born around 1430 and was involved in trade with the Low Countries.

As the centuries progressed, the name Whisnant continued to be found in various parts of England, with some individuals of note including Robert Whisnant (1587-1653), a wealthy landowner from Dorset; Elizabeth Whisnant (1612-1686), a Puritan writer from Gloucestershire; and William Whisnant (1745-1823), a soldier who fought in the American Revolutionary War.

While the name Whisnant is not as common as some other English surnames, it has been carried by individuals throughout history and remains a part of the rich tapestry of English nomenclature.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Whisnant

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

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

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

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