2000
#3,564
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,150
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.39
Uncommon Last name
Whitson
An English occupational surname referring to the son of a white-haired or fair-haired man.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 10,052 Americans carry the last name Whitson. That puts it at #3,929 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.93 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 34,098 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Whitson 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 Whitson with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
10K
1 in 34,098
Census rank
#3,929
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.8K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,766 bearers of the surname Whitson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.93 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3929th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Whitson, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.5%. The next largest groups are Black (11.2%) and Two or More Races (5.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Whitson
The surname Whitson has its origins in England, with records dating back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Old English words "hwit" meaning white and "tun" meaning an enclosure or settlement, suggesting that it was originally a locational name for someone living in a white-colored town or village.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Whitson can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1275, where it appears as "William de Whittone." This spelling variation highlights the evolution of the name over time.
In the 14th century, the name Whitson appeared in various historical records, including the Poll Tax Returns of Yorkshire in 1379, where it was spelled "Whitton." This suggests that the name was present in different regions of England during this period.
The Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of land ownership in England compiled in 1086, does not contain any direct references to the surname Whitson. However, it does mention several placenames that may have contributed to the formation of the surname, such as "Wittun" in Derbyshire and "Witton" in Northamptonshire.
Notable individuals with the surname Whitson throughout history include:
1. John Whitson (c. 1557 - 1629), an English clergyman and writer who served as the Bishop of Winchester from 1599 until his death.
2. Richard Whitson (1573 - 1647), an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Bath in the early 17th century.
3. Mary Whitson (1633 - 1712), an English Quaker who was persecuted for her religious beliefs and spent time in prison during the late 17th century.
4. William Whitson (1796 - 1876), a Scottish poet and songwriter best known for his works in the Scots language.
5. Thomas Whitson (1846 - 1921), a British engineer and inventor who patented several innovations in the field of steam engine design.
The surname Whitson has also been associated with various place names throughout England, such as Whitson in Derbyshire, Whitston in Herefordshire, and Whitston in Shropshire. These place names likely contributed to the spread and variations of the surname over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Whitson
Among Census respondents with the surname Whitson, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.5%. The next largest groups are Black (11.2%) and Two or More Races (5.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Whitson 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 Whitson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White78.5% · 6,882
- Black or African American11.2% · 979
- Two or more races5.2% · 453
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 313
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 88
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 51
Timeline
Historical Census data for Whitson
Whitson 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
#3,820
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,273
+123 bearers (+1.3%)
Per 100,000 3.14
Rank movement Down 256 places
2020
#3,929
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,766
-507 bearers (-5.5%)
Per 100,000 2.93
Rank movement Down 109 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,564 | 9,150 | 3.39 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,820 | 9,273 | 3.14 | +123 bearers (+1.3%) | Down 256 places |
| 2020 | #3,929 | 8,766 | 2.93 | -507 bearers (-5.5%) | Down 109 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 Whitson 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 | #3,820 | #3,929 | -2.9% |
| Count | 9,273 | 8,766 | -5.5% |
| Per 100K | 3.14 | 2.93 | -6.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Whitson bearers went from 9,273 to 8,766 (-5.5% change). The surname moved down 109 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,820 to #3,929.
FAQ
Whitson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Whitson?
Name Census estimates that about 10,052 living Americans carry the surname Whitson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 34,098 residents.
How common is Whitson?
Whitson ranks #3,929 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.93 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 8,766 people with the surname Whitson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (10,052), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.93 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.93 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Whitson.
Has Whitson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Whitson went from 9,273 recorded bearers to 8,766. That is a decrease of 507 (-5.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,820 to #3,929.
What does the Census say about the background of Whitson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Whitson, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.5%. The next largest groups are Black (11.2%) and Two or More Races (5.2%). 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 Whitson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 78.5% (6,882 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Whitson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (78.5%), Black (11.2%), Two or More Races (5.2%). 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 Whitson (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 Whitson mean?
An English occupational surname referring to the son of a white-haired or fair-haired man. 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 Whitson (2.93 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 Americans have the surname Whitson?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.