2000
#7,323
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,191
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.55
Rare Last name
Whitacre
A locational surname denoting someone from any of the various places called Whitacre in England, meaning "white field."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,680 Americans carry the last name Whitacre. That puts it at #7,800 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.37 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 73,238 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Whitacre 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Whitacre with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.7K
1 in 73,238
Census rank
#7,800
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,081 bearers of the surname Whitacre in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.37 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7800th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Whitacre, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Whitacre
The surname WHITACRE is of English origin, originating in the late 12th or early 13th century. It is believed to be a locational name derived from a place called "Whiteacre" or "Whiteaker" in either Warwickshire or Worcestershire. The name is thought to have evolved from the Old English words "hwit" meaning white and "aecer" meaning field or cultivated land.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Warwickshire from 1332, which mentions a John de Whiteacre. The name also appears in the Worcestershire Feet of Fines from 1349, referring to a Henry de Whiteacre.
In the 15th century, the name is documented in the parish records of Warwickshire and Worcestershire, with variations in spelling such as Whittacre, Whytaker, and Whiteakre. The surname WHITACRE is believed to have been established in its current form by the 16th century.
Notable individuals with the surname WHITACRE throughout history include:
1. William Whitacre (c. 1545 - 1625), an English landowner and Member of Parliament for Droitwich in 1589.
2. Thomas Whitacre (1609 - 1685), an English Puritan clergyman and member of the Westminster Assembly.
3. John Whitacre (1670 - 1723), an English physician and author of medical treatises.
4. Elizabeth Whitacre (1731 - 1802), an English Quaker minister and writer.
5. Samuel Whitacre (1785 - 1862), an American pioneer and early settler in Ohio.
The name WHITACRE has also been associated with various place names in England, such as Whiteacre Park in Warwickshire and Whiteacre Farm in Worcestershire, further reinforcing its locational origins.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Whitacre
Among Census respondents with the surname Whitacre, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Whitacre 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 Whitacre surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.0% · 3,796
- Two or more races3.5% · 143
- Hispanic or Latino2.4% · 97
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 25
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 11
- Black or African American0.2% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Whitacre
Whitacre 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
#7,812
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,238
+47 bearers (+1.1%)
Per 100,000 1.44
Rank movement Down 489 places
2020
#7,800
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,081
-157 bearers (-3.7%)
Per 100,000 1.37
Rank movement Up 12 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,323 | 4,191 | 1.55 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,812 | 4,238 | 1.44 | +47 bearers (+1.1%) | Down 489 places |
| 2020 | #7,800 | 4,081 | 1.37 | -157 bearers (-3.7%) | Up 12 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 Whitacre 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 | #7,812 | #7,800 | 0.2% |
| Count | 4,238 | 4,081 | -3.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.44 | 1.37 | -5.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Whitacre bearers went from 4,238 to 4,081 (-3.7% change). The surname moved up 12 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,812 to #7,800.
FAQ
Whitacre surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Whitacre?
Name Census estimates that about 4,680 living Americans carry the surname Whitacre. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 73,238 residents.
How common is Whitacre?
Whitacre ranks #7,800 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.37 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 4,081 people with the surname Whitacre. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,680), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.37 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.37 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 Whitacre.
Has Whitacre become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Whitacre went from 4,238 recorded bearers to 4,081. That is a decrease of 157 (-3.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #7,812 to #7,800.
What does the Census say about the background of Whitacre?
Among Census respondents with the surname Whitacre, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (2.4%). 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 Whitacre in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.0% (3,796 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Whitacre appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.0%), Two or More Races (3.5%), Hispanic (2.4%). 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 Whitacre (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 Whitacre mean?
A locational surname denoting someone from any of the various places called Whitacre in England, meaning "white field." 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 Whitacre (1.37 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 common is the surname Whitacre?
You can see how many people are called Whitacre on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.