2000
#2,003
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,603
First available Census row
Per 100,000 6.15
Uncommon Last name
Whitlock
A surname derived from a place name meaning "white lock," likely referring to a lock with a light-colored enclosure.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 18,496 Americans carry the last name Whitlock. That puts it at #2,202 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.40 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 18,531 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Whitlock 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 Whitlock with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
18K
1 in 18,531
Census rank
#2,202
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
16K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 16,129 bearers of the surname Whitlock in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.40 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2202nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Whitlock, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.5%. The next largest groups are Black (15.3%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Whitlock
The surname Whitlock is of English origin, deriving from Old English words. It is believed to have originated during the Middle Ages, with the earliest known records dating back to the 11th century. The name is thought to be a combination of the Old English words "hwit," meaning white, and "loc," meaning a lock or enclosure.
This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near or was associated with a white enclosure or a whitewashed building. It could also have been a descriptive name given to someone with white or fair hair. The earliest spellings of the name include Whitelocke, Whytelocke, and Whitlok.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Witloc." This entry refers to a landowner in the county of Hertfordshire. The Whitlock name is also mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire from the 12th century.
Notable historical figures bearing the surname Whitlock include Sir Bulstrode Whitlock (1605-1675), an English lawyer, politician, and author. He served as a Member of Parliament and as a Lord Commissioner of the Great Seal during the English Civil War.
Another prominent individual was Sir John Whitlock (1610-1677), an English lawyer and judge who served as the Lord Mayor of London in 1660-1661. He was also a member of the Honorable Artillery Company, a prestigious military organization.
In the 18th century, Nathaniel Whitlock (1726-1796) was a prominent English engraver and cartographer, renowned for his intricate maps and charts. His works were highly sought after by collectors and cartographers of the time.
During the 19th century, John Whitlock (1833-1909) was an influential English architect and surveyor. He was responsible for designing several notable buildings in London, including the Whitlock Memorial Hall, which was named in his honor.
In the realm of literature, Elizabeth Whitlock (1761-1836) was an English writer and poet, known for her contributions to the Romantic movement. Her poetry collections were widely acclaimed and celebrated during her lifetime.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Whitlock
Among Census respondents with the surname Whitlock, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.5%. The next largest groups are Black (15.3%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Whitlock 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 Whitlock surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White76.5% · 12,340
- Black or African American15.3% · 2,472
- Two or more races4.2% · 676
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 478
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 95
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 68
Timeline
Historical Census data for Whitlock
Whitlock 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
#2,142
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,927
+324 bearers (+2.0%)
Per 100,000 5.74
Rank movement Down 139 places
2020
#2,202
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,129
-798 bearers (-4.7%)
Per 100,000 5.40
Rank movement Down 60 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,003 | 16,603 | 6.15 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,142 | 16,927 | 5.74 | +324 bearers (+2.0%) | Down 139 places |
| 2020 | #2,202 | 16,129 | 5.40 | -798 bearers (-4.7%) | Down 60 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 Whitlock 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 | #2,142 | #2,202 | -2.8% |
| Count | 16,927 | 16,129 | -4.7% |
| Per 100K | 5.74 | 5.40 | -6.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Whitlock bearers went from 16,927 to 16,129 (-4.7% change). The surname moved down 60 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,142 to #2,202.
FAQ
Whitlock surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Whitlock?
Name Census estimates that about 18,496 living Americans carry the surname Whitlock. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 18,531 residents.
How common is Whitlock?
Whitlock ranks #2,202 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.40 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 16,129 people with the surname Whitlock. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (18,496), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.4 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.40 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Whitlock.
Has Whitlock become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Whitlock went from 16,927 recorded bearers to 16,129. That is a decrease of 798 (-4.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,142 to #2,202.
What does the Census say about the background of Whitlock?
Among Census respondents with the surname Whitlock, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.5%. The next largest groups are Black (15.3%) and Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Whitlock in the 2020 Census, accounting for 76.5% (12,340 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Whitlock appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (76.5%), Black (15.3%), Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Whitlock (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 Whitlock mean?
A surname derived from a place name meaning "white lock," likely referring to a lock with a light-colored 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 Whitlock (5.40 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 common is the surname Whitlock?
See how many Americans have the surname Whitlock on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.