2000
#4,490
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,268
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.69
Rare Last name
Whitehurst
A locational surname referring to someone who lived near a white wooded hill or a white deer enclosure.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,019 Americans carry the last name Whitehurst. That puts it at #4,890 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.34 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 42,743 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Whitehurst 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 Whitehurst with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
8.0K
1 in 42,743
Census rank
#4,890
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,993 bearers of the surname Whitehurst in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.34 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4890th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Whitehurst, the largest self-reported group is White at 65.6%. The next largest groups are Black (26.4%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Whitehurst
The surname WHITEHURST has its origins in England, dating back to the medieval period. It is a locational surname, derived from the place name 'Whitehurst' or 'Whitehurst', which likely referred to a white wooded area or a clearing in a forest. The name is composed of the Old English words 'hwit' meaning white and 'hyrst' meaning a wooded hill or a grove.
The earliest known records of the name WHITEHURST can be traced back to the 13th century in the county of Lancashire, where it is believed to have originated. One of the earliest recorded instances is found in the Assize Rolls of Lancashire from 1285, which mentions a Robert de Whytehurst.
In the 14th century, the WHITEHURST name appeared in various medieval records, including the Wills and Inventories of the Northern Counties of England. One notable example from 1369 mentions a John de Whitehurst, who was a landowner in the village of Whitehurst near Burnley, Lancashire.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the WHITEHURST family spread across different parts of England, with records showing their presence in counties like Staffordshire, Cheshire, and Derbyshire. One prominent figure from this period was John Whitehurst (1713-1788), a clockmaker, scientist, and philosopher from Derbyshire, who made significant contributions to the study of geology and mineralogy.
Another notable individual was James Whitehurst (1749-1808), a writer, and poet from Staffordshire, who published several works including "The Village Curate" and "The Solitary Wanderer."
In the 18th century, the WHITEHURST name gained further recognition with the birth of John Whitehurst (1770-1835), a prominent engineer and inventor from Staffordshire. He is credited with designing and building several innovative bridges and canal structures across England.
Other notable figures include Mary Whitehurst (1828-1892), a philanthropist and social reformer from Derbyshire, who dedicated her life to improving the living conditions of the working class, and Sir John Whitehurst (1857-1932), a distinguished lawyer and judge from Lancashire, who served as the Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales.
Throughout its history, the WHITEHURST surname has been spelled in various ways, including Whitehirst, Whythurst, and Whiteherst, reflecting the regional variations and evolving spellings over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Whitehurst
Among Census respondents with the surname Whitehurst, the largest self-reported group is White at 65.6%. The next largest groups are Black (26.4%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Whitehurst 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 Whitehurst surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White65.6% · 4,586
- Black or African American26.4% · 1,844
- Two or more races3.9% · 274
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 214
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 46
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 29
Timeline
Historical Census data for Whitehurst
Whitehurst 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
#4,774
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,412
+144 bearers (+2.0%)
Per 100,000 2.51
Rank movement Down 284 places
2020
#4,890
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,993
-419 bearers (-5.7%)
Per 100,000 2.34
Rank movement Down 116 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,490 | 7,268 | 2.69 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,774 | 7,412 | 2.51 | +144 bearers (+2.0%) | Down 284 places |
| 2020 | #4,890 | 6,993 | 2.34 | -419 bearers (-5.7%) | Down 116 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 Whitehurst 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 | #4,774 | #4,890 | -2.4% |
| Count | 7,412 | 6,993 | -5.7% |
| Per 100K | 2.51 | 2.34 | -6.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Whitehurst bearers went from 7,412 to 6,993 (-5.7% change). The surname moved down 116 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,774 to #4,890.
FAQ
Whitehurst surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Whitehurst?
Name Census estimates that about 8,019 living Americans carry the surname Whitehurst. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 42,743 residents.
How common is Whitehurst?
Whitehurst ranks #4,890 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.34 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,993 people with the surname Whitehurst. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,019), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.34 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.34 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Whitehurst.
Has Whitehurst become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Whitehurst went from 7,412 recorded bearers to 6,993. That is a decrease of 419 (-5.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,774 to #4,890.
What does the Census say about the background of Whitehurst?
Among Census respondents with the surname Whitehurst, the largest self-reported group is White at 65.6%. The next largest groups are Black (26.4%) and Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Whitehurst in the 2020 Census, accounting for 65.6% (4,586 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Whitehurst appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (65.6%), Black (26.4%), Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Whitehurst (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 Whitehurst mean?
A locational surname referring to someone who lived near a white wooded hill or a white deer enclosure. 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 Whitehurst (2.34 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 last name Whitehurst?
Want to know how many people have the surname Whitehurst? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.