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

Whitehead, 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 Whitehead surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Whitehead in America

Whitehead is the 776th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Whitehead surname appeared 44,373 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 15 people would have the surname Whitehead.

We can also compare 2010 data for Whitehead 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 Whitehead

The surname Whitehead is an English surname derived from the Middle English words "white" and "head," referring to someone with light-colored hair or a pale complexion. It originated in the 13th century and was initially used as a nickname or descriptive name before becoming a hereditary surname.

The earliest recorded instance of the surname Whitehead can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Huntingdonshire, England, dating back to 1273, where it is listed as "Whythed." Over time, various spelling variations emerged, such as Whythed, Whithede, and Whytehede, before settling on the modern form of Whitehead.

In the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of landowners and their properties commissioned by William the Conqueror, there are no direct references to the surname Whitehead. However, some entries mention individuals with the first name "Whit" or "White," which may have been precursors to the later development of the Whitehead surname.

Notable individuals with the surname Whitehead throughout history include:

1. George Whitehead (1636-1723), an English Quaker leader and influential writer during the 17th century.
2. Alfred North Whitehead (1861-1947), an English mathematician and philosopher who co-authored the influential work "Principia Mathematica" with Bertrand Russell.
3. Jesse Whitehead (1719-1785), an American Revolutionary War soldier and frontiersman from Virginia.
4. William Whitehead (1715-1785), an English poet and playwright who served as the Poet Laureate of Great Britain from 1757 until his death.
5. John Whitehead (1924-1988), an English actor and comedian best known for his roles in the Carry On film series and television shows like "Steptoe and Son."

The surname Whitehead has been associated with various place names throughout England, such as Whitehead in Lancashire, which was recorded as "Quitheved" in the 13th century, and Whitehead in Yorkshire, which appeared as "Whiteheved" in the 14th century. These place names likely contributed to the further establishment and spread of the Whitehead surname.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Whitehead

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

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

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

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