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

Whittaker, 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 Whittaker surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Whittaker in America

Whittaker is the 2100th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Whittaker surname appeared 17,234 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 Whittaker.

We can also compare 2010 data for Whittaker 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 Whittaker

The surname Whittaker has its origins in England and dates back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old English words "hwit" meaning white and "taquere" meaning a fuller of cloth. Together, "hwittaquere" referred to someone who worked as a whitener or fuller of cloth, an essential occupation in medieval times.

The name is first recorded in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1191, where it appears as "Whitteakere". This early spelling variation highlights the localized nature of surnames in that era, with regional dialects and spelling conventions influencing how names were written down.

As the surname evolved, it became associated with certain areas of northern England, particularly Yorkshire, Lancashire, and Cheshire. This geographic concentration is reflected in the appearance of Whittakers in various historical records, such as the Subsidy Rolls of Lancashire in 1332, which list several individuals with the surname.

One of the earliest documented instances of the name is found in the Chorley Parish Registers of Lancashire, which record the baptism of a John Whittaker in 1558. This entry provides evidence of the surname's establishment in the region by the 16th century.

Whittaker has also been linked to several place names in northern England, including Whittaker in Lancashire and Whittakers in Yorkshire. These locations may have derived their names from the surname or vice versa, further cementing the connection between the name and the local geography.

Several notable individuals have borne the surname Whittaker throughout history. One such figure is Sir Richard Whittaker (1618-1689), an English judge and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Aylesbury in the 17th century.

Another prominent Whittaker was Thomas Whittaker (1776-1840), an English botanist and curator of the Royal Botanic Gardens in Chelsea, London. His contributions to the study of plants and their classification were significant during his lifetime.

In the field of literature, John Whittaker (1777-1846) was an English writer and editor who published works on various subjects, including history, theology, and politics.

The name Whittaker has also been associated with sports. In the early 20th century, Walter Whittaker (1876-1944) was an English professional footballer who played for clubs like Manchester City and Birmingham City.

More recently, Robert Whittaker (born 1990) is a New Zealand-born Australian professional mixed martial artist who has competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and held the UFC Interim Middleweight Championship.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Whittaker

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

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

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

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