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

Whiteley, 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 Whiteley surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Whiteley in America

Whiteley is the 6935th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Whiteley surname appeared 4,834 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Whiteley.

We can also compare 2010 data for Whiteley 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 Whiteley

The surname Whiteley originated in England and can be traced back to the 13th century. It is an Anglo-Saxon toponymic name derived from the Old English words "hwit" meaning white and "leah" meaning a meadow or clearing in a forest. The name likely referred to someone who lived near a white meadow or open field.

In the Domesday Book of 1086, a record of landholders in England commissioned by William the Conqueror, there are entries for people with similar surnames like "Witelei" and "Witeleg." This suggests that the Whiteley name was already in use in some form during the 11th century.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Whiteley surname is found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1166, which mention a "Robert de Witeleia." This spelling variation highlights the evolution of the name over time.

During the 13th century, the surname appeared in various records, including the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which list a "Willelmus de Whytelay" in Buckinghamshire. The Subsidy Rolls of Sussex from 1296 also mention a "Thomas de Whuytele."

In the 14th century, the surname was often associated with place names like "Whitley" or "Whitelee," which were derived from the same Old English words as the surname itself. For example, the Poll Tax Returns of Yorkshire from 1379 list a "Johannes de Whitlay."

Notable individuals with the Whiteley surname include Thomas Whiteley (1639-1704), an English Quaker and early settler in Pennsylvania, and John Whiteley (1767-1843), an English inventor and engineer who designed and built several iron bridges and aqueducts.

Other notable figures include Henry Whiteley (1806-1888), a British architect and surveyor who designed several churches and public buildings in Yorkshire, and James Whiteley (1834-1919), a British businessman and founder of the Whiteley's department store chain.

William Whiteley (1831-1907), often referred to as the "Universal Provider," was a successful English entrepreneur who established the Whiteley's shopping emporium in London, which became one of the largest retailers in the world at the time.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Whiteley

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

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

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

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