2000
#558
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 54,343
First available Census row
Per 100,000 20.14
Uncommon Last name
Whitaker
An occupational surname referring to a white tanner or dresser of light-colored leather.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 61,866 Americans carry the last name Whitaker. That puts it at #610 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 18.05 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 5,540 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Whitaker 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 Whitaker with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
62K
1 in 5,540
Census rank
#610
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
18.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
54K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 53,950 bearers of the surname Whitaker in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 18.05 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 610th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Whitaker, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.4%. The next largest groups are Black (23.6%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Whitaker
The surname Whitaker originated in England and can be traced back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old English words "hwit" meaning white and "acre" referring to a cultivated field or plot of land. This suggests that the name was likely given to someone who lived near or worked on a white field or area of land.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Whitaker appears in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1166, where it is spelled "Whiteacre." This document lists landowners and taxpayers in the region. Over time, the spelling evolved to Whitaker, reflecting the way it was pronounced.
The Whitaker name can also be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a survey of landowners and property in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. Here, the name is recorded as "Whittacre" and "Whiteacre," indicating that it was already in use before the Norman Conquest.
In the 13th century, there are records of a John Whitaker living in Lancashire, England. Another notable early bearer of the name was Sir Thomas Whitaker (1492-1537), who served as Lord Mayor of London in 1531.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Whitaker family established themselves as prominent landowners and merchants in various parts of England, particularly in the counties of Yorkshire, Lancashire, and Cheshire. One notable member of the family was Jeremiah Whitaker (1599-1654), a renowned Anglican clergyman and theologian who served as the Lady Margaret's Professor of Divinity at the University of Cambridge.
Another notable figure was the poet and dramatist Thomas Whitaker (1759-1821), who was born in Holme, Lancashire. He is best known for his work "The History and Antiquities of the Deanery of Craven," which documented the history and architecture of the region.
In the 19th century, John Whitaker (1776-1835) was a prominent English historian and antiquarian who published several works, including "The History of Whalley" and "The Life and Original Correspondence of Sir George Radcliffe."
The Whitaker name has also been associated with various place names in England, such as Whitacre in Warwickshire, Whittakers in Lancashire, and Whiteacre in Yorkshire, further reinforcing its connection to the Old English roots.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Whitaker
Among Census respondents with the surname Whitaker, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.4%. The next largest groups are Black (23.6%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Whitaker 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 Whitaker surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White68.4% · 36,878
- Black or African American23.6% · 12,721
- Two or more races4.0% · 2,176
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 1,636
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 284
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 255
Timeline
Historical Census data for Whitaker
Whitaker 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
#596
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 56,616
+2,273 bearers (+4.2%)
Per 100,000 19.19
Rank movement Down 38 places
2020
#610
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 53,950
-2,666 bearers (-4.7%)
Per 100,000 18.05
Rank movement Down 14 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #558 | 54,343 | 20.14 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #596 | 56,616 | 19.19 | +2,273 bearers (+4.2%) | Down 38 places |
| 2020 | #610 | 53,950 | 18.05 | -2,666 bearers (-4.7%) | Down 14 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 Whitaker 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 | #596 | #610 | -2.3% |
| Count | 56,616 | 53,950 | -4.7% |
| Per 100K | 19.19 | 18.05 | -5.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Whitaker bearers went from 56,616 to 53,950 (-4.7% change). The surname moved down 14 positions in the national ranking, going from #596 to #610.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Whitaker
FAQ
Whitaker surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Whitaker?
Name Census estimates that about 61,866 living Americans carry the surname Whitaker. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 5,540 residents.
How common is Whitaker?
Whitaker ranks #610 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 18.05 per 100,000 residents, which is about 18 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 53,950 people with the surname Whitaker. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (61,866), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 18.05 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 18.05 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 18 of them to have the surname Whitaker.
Has Whitaker become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Whitaker went from 56,616 recorded bearers to 53,950. That is a decrease of 2,666 (-4.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #596 to #610.
What does the Census say about the background of Whitaker?
Among Census respondents with the surname Whitaker, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.4%. The next largest groups are Black (23.6%) and Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Whitaker in the 2020 Census, accounting for 68.4% (36,878 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Whitaker appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (68.4%), Black (23.6%), Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Whitaker (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 Whitaker mean?
An occupational surname referring to a white tanner or dresser of light-colored leather. 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 Whitaker (18.05 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 Whitaker?
If you just want to know how many Americans have the surname Whitaker, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.