2000
#6,707
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,647
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.72
Rare Last name
Whiteley
A locational surname denoting someone who lived in a white meadow or near a white wood or clearing.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,377 Americans carry the last name Whiteley. That puts it at #6,902 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.57 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 63,745 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Whiteley 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 Whiteley with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.4K
1 in 63,745
Census rank
#6,902
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,689 bearers of the surname Whiteley in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.57 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6902nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Whiteley, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and Hispanic (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Whiteley
Among Census respondents with the surname Whiteley, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and Hispanic (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Whiteley 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 Whiteley surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.2% · 4,137
- Two or more races4.6% · 217
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 179
- Black or African American1.4% · 67
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 52
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 37
Timeline
Historical Census data for Whiteley
Whiteley 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
#6,935
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,834
+187 bearers (+4.0%)
Per 100,000 1.64
Rank movement Down 228 places
2020
#6,902
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,689
-145 bearers (-3.0%)
Per 100,000 1.57
Rank movement Up 33 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,707 | 4,647 | 1.72 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,935 | 4,834 | 1.64 | +187 bearers (+4.0%) | Down 228 places |
| 2020 | #6,902 | 4,689 | 1.57 | -145 bearers (-3.0%) | Up 33 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 Whiteley 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 | #6,935 | #6,902 | 0.5% |
| Count | 4,834 | 4,689 | -3.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.64 | 1.57 | -4.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Whiteley bearers went from 4,834 to 4,689 (-3.0% change). The surname moved up 33 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,935 to #6,902.
FAQ
Whiteley surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Whiteley?
Name Census estimates that about 5,377 living Americans carry the surname Whiteley. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 63,745 residents.
How common is Whiteley?
Whiteley ranks #6,902 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.57 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 4,689 people with the surname Whiteley. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,377), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.57 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.57 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 Whiteley.
Has Whiteley become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Whiteley went from 4,834 recorded bearers to 4,689. That is a decrease of 145 (-3.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #6,935 to #6,902.
What does the Census say about the background of Whiteley?
Among Census respondents with the surname Whiteley, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and Hispanic (3.8%). 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 Whiteley in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.2% (4,137 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Whiteley appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.2%), Two or More Races (4.6%), Hispanic (3.8%). 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 Whiteley (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 Whiteley mean?
A locational surname denoting someone who lived in a white meadow or near a white wood or clearing. 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 Whiteley (1.57 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 Whiteley?
If you just want to know how many people are called Whiteley, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.