2000
#1,236
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 26,078
First available Census row
Per 100,000 9.67
Uncommon Last name
Whitley
From a place name meaning "white meadow" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 29,089 Americans carry the last name Whitley. That puts it at #1,366 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 8.49 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 11,783 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Whitley 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 Whitley with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
29K
1 in 11,783
Census rank
#1,366
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
8.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
25K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 25,367 bearers of the surname Whitley in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 8.49 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1366th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Whitley, the largest self-reported group is White at 69.4%. The next largest groups are Black (22.5%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Whitley
The surname Whitley originates from England and dates back to the early medieval period. It is a locational name derived from various places named Whitley, which are found in counties such as Berkshire, Cheshire, Derbyshire, and Yorkshire. The name is thought to derive from the Old English words "hwit," meaning white, and "leah," meaning a woodland clearing or meadow.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Whitley can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is listed as Witelei. This entry refers to a place in Derbyshire, suggesting that the surname may have originated from this location.
During the 13th century, the surname appears in various records with various spellings, such as Wyteleye, Whytelay, and Whyteley. These variations reflect the development of the English language and the regional dialects of the time.
Notable individuals with the surname Whitley throughout history include Thomas Whitley (c. 1616-1696), an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Northampton during the 17th century. Another prominent figure was John Whitley (1573-1615), an English clergyman and academic who served as the Master of Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge.
In the 18th century, William Whitley (1718-1771) was a British architect and surveyor who designed several notable buildings in London, including the Founders' Wing of Christ's Hospital. Additionally, Richard Whitley (1805-1865) was an English industrialist and entrepreneur who played a significant role in the development of the coal mining industry in the North East of England.
One of the most renowned individuals with the surname Whitley was Opal Whiteley (1897-1992), an American writer and naturalist known for her childhood diary, published in 1920 as "The Diary of an Ostrich Chick." Although the authenticity of the diary was initially questioned, it later gained recognition for its literary value and insights into the natural world.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Whitley
Among Census respondents with the surname Whitley, the largest self-reported group is White at 69.4%. The next largest groups are Black (22.5%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Whitley 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 Whitley surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White69.4% · 17,601
- Black or African American22.5% · 5,699
- Two or more races4.0% · 1,026
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 786
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 147
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 108
Timeline
Historical Census data for Whitley
Whitley 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
#1,313
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 26,732
+654 bearers (+2.5%)
Per 100,000 9.06
Rank movement Down 77 places
2020
#1,366
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 25,367
-1,365 bearers (-5.1%)
Per 100,000 8.49
Rank movement Down 53 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,236 | 26,078 | 9.67 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,313 | 26,732 | 9.06 | +654 bearers (+2.5%) | Down 77 places |
| 2020 | #1,366 | 25,367 | 8.49 | -1,365 bearers (-5.1%) | Down 53 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 Whitley 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 | #1,313 | #1,366 | -4.0% |
| Count | 26,732 | 25,367 | -5.1% |
| Per 100K | 9.06 | 8.49 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Whitley bearers went from 26,732 to 25,367 (-5.1% change). The surname moved down 53 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,313 to #1,366.
FAQ
Whitley surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Whitley?
Name Census estimates that about 29,089 living Americans carry the surname Whitley. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 11,783 residents.
How common is Whitley?
Whitley ranks #1,366 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 8.49 per 100,000 residents, which is about 8 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 25,367 people with the surname Whitley. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (29,089), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 8.49 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 8.49 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 8 of them to have the surname Whitley.
Has Whitley become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Whitley went from 26,732 recorded bearers to 25,367. That is a decrease of 1,365 (-5.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,313 to #1,366.
What does the Census say about the background of Whitley?
Among Census respondents with the surname Whitley, the largest self-reported group is White at 69.4%. The next largest groups are Black (22.5%) and Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Whitley in the 2020 Census, accounting for 69.4% (17,601 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Whitley appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (69.4%), Black (22.5%), Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Whitley (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 Whitley mean?
From a place name meaning "white meadow" in Old English. 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 Whitley (8.49 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 surname Whitley?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.