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

Whiting, 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 Whiting surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Whiting in America

Whiting is the 2221st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Whiting surname appeared 16,418 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 6 people would have the surname Whiting.

We can also compare 2010 data for Whiting 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 Whiting

The surname Whiting originated from England, with the earliest known references dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to be an occupational name derived from the Old English word "hwit," meaning white, and was initially used to refer to someone who worked in trades involving white materials or products, such as a bleacher or a whitener.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Hundredorum Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1273, where a certain Robertus Whyting is mentioned. The Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327 also list a Thomas le Whytynge, indicating that the name was in use across various regions of England during that time.

The Domesday Book, the famous survey commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, does not contain any direct references to the name Whiting. However, it does mention several place names that may have influenced the development of the surname, such as Whitton in Lincolnshire and Whittington in Staffordshire.

During the 14th and 15th centuries, the name Whiting began to appear more frequently in various records, suggesting that it had become a well-established surname. One notable individual from this period was Robert Whiting (c. 1380-1460), an English theologian and the last Warden of the Grey Friars in London before the Dissolution of the Monasteries under King Henry VIII.

In the 16th century, the name Whiting gained further prominence with the birth of John Whiting (1537-1599), an English Catholic priest and martyr who was executed during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I for his involvement in the Babington Plot to assassinate the Queen and replace her with Mary, Queen of Scots.

Other notable individuals with the surname Whiting include Samuel Whiting (1597-1679), an English Puritan minister and one of the founders of the town of Lynn, Massachusetts; John Whiting (1617-1692), an English Puritan minister and one of the founders of Hartford, Connecticut; and William Whiting (1825-1878), an English poet and novelist best known for his works such as "The World Beautiful" and "The Fireside Encyclopaedia of Poetry."

Throughout history, the surname Whiting has also been associated with various place names, such as Whittington in Shropshire, Whittingslow in Cheshire, and Whittingham in Northumberland, further reinforcing its English origins and connections to the concept of whiteness or light.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Whiting

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

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

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

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