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

Whitmire, 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 Whitmire surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Whitmire in America

Whitmire is the 4906th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Whitmire surname appeared 7,179 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 Whitmire.

We can also compare 2010 data for Whitmire 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 Whitmire

The surname Whitmire has its origins in England and dates back to the medieval period. It is believed to be a locational name derived from the Old English words "hwit" meaning "white" and "mere" meaning "a pool or lake." The name likely referred to a person who lived near a body of water with clear or white waters.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Whitmire can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a manuscript record of a great survey of England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name appears as "Witemer" in this document, indicating its early spelling variations.

During the 13th century, the name Whitmire was also found in various records and documents, such as the Pipe Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1230, where it was spelled as "Whitemere." This spelling variation suggests a connection to the place name "Whitemere" or "Whitemore," which was likely the origin of the surname.

In the 14th century, the name Whitmire began to appear more frequently in historical records. One notable bearer of the name was John Whitmire, a landowner and merchant from Yorkshire, who was born around 1320 and died in 1384.

As time passed, the surname Whitmire continued to be associated with various place names and locations across England. For instance, in the 16th century, there was a record of a family with the surname Whitmire residing in the village of Whitemore, located in Staffordshire.

Another prominent figure with the surname Whitmire was Sir William Whitmire, a politician and member of the English Parliament during the reign of King Charles I. He was born in 1595 and played a significant role in the English Civil War, supporting the Royalist cause.

During the 17th century, the Whitmire surname also found its way to the American colonies. One of the earliest recorded instances was that of Thomas Whitmire, who immigrated to Virginia from England in the 1630s and established a family there.

In the 18th century, the Whitmire surname continued to spread across various regions. Notable individuals from this period include John Whitmire, a merchant and landowner from Pennsylvania, born in 1725, and Elizabeth Whitmire, a pioneer and early settler in the Ohio Territory, born in 1760.

Throughout the 19th century, the Whitmire surname was well-established in various parts of the United States and Europe. One notable figure was Charles Whitmire, a British explorer and naturalist born in 1820, who traveled extensively in Africa and made significant contributions to the study of flora and fauna.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Whitmire

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

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

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

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