2000
#10,591
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,777
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.03
Rare Last name
Whisnant
An English surname of uncertain origin, possibly derived from a place name or a nickname for a quiet person.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,924 Americans carry the last name Whisnant. That puts it at #11,750 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.85 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 117,221 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Whisnant 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
2.9K
1 in 117,221
Census rank
#11,750
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,550 bearers of the surname Whisnant in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.85 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11750th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Whisnant, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.3%. The next largest groups are Black (7.7%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Whisnant
Among Census respondents with the surname Whisnant, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.3%. The next largest groups are Black (7.7%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Whisnant 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 Whisnant surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.3% · 2,200
- Black or African American7.7% · 197
- Two or more races3.5% · 90
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 43
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 15
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.2% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Whisnant
Whisnant 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
#10,993
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,893
+116 bearers (+4.2%)
Per 100,000 0.98
Rank movement Down 402 places
2020
#11,750
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,550
-343 bearers (-11.9%)
Per 100,000 0.85
Rank movement Down 757 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,591 | 2,777 | 1.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,993 | 2,893 | 0.98 | +116 bearers (+4.2%) | Down 402 places |
| 2020 | #11,750 | 2,550 | 0.85 | -343 bearers (-11.9%) | Down 757 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 Whisnant 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 | #10,993 | #11,750 | -6.9% |
| Count | 2,893 | 2,550 | -11.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.98 | 0.85 | -12.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Whisnant bearers went from 2,893 to 2,550 (-11.9% change). The surname moved down 757 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,993 to #11,750.
FAQ
Whisnant surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Whisnant?
Name Census estimates that about 2,924 living Americans carry the surname Whisnant. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 117,221 residents.
How common is Whisnant?
Whisnant ranks #11,750 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.85 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 2,550 people with the surname Whisnant. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,924), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.85 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.85 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 Whisnant.
Has Whisnant become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Whisnant went from 2,893 recorded bearers to 2,550. That is a decrease of 343 (-11.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,993 to #11,750.
What does the Census say about the background of Whisnant?
Among Census respondents with the surname Whisnant, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.3%. The next largest groups are Black (7.7%) and Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Whisnant in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.3% (2,200 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Whisnant appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.3%), Black (7.7%), Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Whisnant (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 Whisnant mean?
An English surname of uncertain origin, possibly derived from a place name or a nickname for a quiet person. 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 Whisnant (0.85 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 surname Whisnant?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.