2000
#6,107
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,178
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.92
Rare Last name
Whittemore
A habitational surname derived from any of several places in England meaning "white pond" or "white marsh."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,539 Americans carry the last name Whittemore. That puts it at #6,711 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.62 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 61,880 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Whittemore 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 Whittemore with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.5K
1 in 61,880
Census rank
#6,711
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,830 bearers of the surname Whittemore in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.62 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6711th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Whittemore, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Whittemore
The surname Whittemore is an English locational name derived from a place in Cambridgeshire, England. The name is believed to have originated from the Old English words "hwit" meaning white, and "mor" meaning moor or marsh, referring to someone who lived near a white moor or marshy area.
The earliest recorded instance of the surname Whittemore can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Whittesmere." This suggests that the name was already well-established in England by the late 11th century.
During the 13th century, the surname was commonly spelled as "Whittemore" or "Whyttemore," reflecting the evolving spelling patterns of the time. In the 14th century, records show variations like "Wyhtmere" and "Whitemere."
One notable early bearer of the name was Sir John Whittemore, a member of Parliament for Wiltshire in the late 14th century. Another was Thomas Whittemore, a prominent merchant and landowner in Gloucestershire during the 15th century.
In the 16th century, the name appeared in various records, including the parish registers of several English counties. John Whittemore (born 1518) was a prominent figure in the English Reformation, serving as a chaplain to King Edward VI.
The 17th century saw the Whittemore family's presence expand across England, with members residing in counties like Oxfordshire, Warwickshire, and Yorkshire. One notable figure was Sir Thomas Whittemore (1610-1678), a wealthy landowner and Member of Parliament for Wiltshire.
In the 18th century, the surname Whittemore was well-established in the American colonies, with several immigrants bearing the name arriving from England. Benjamin Whittemore (1719-1799) was a prominent merchant and patriot in New Hampshire during the American Revolutionary War.
Throughout the 19th century, the Whittemore surname continued to be found across England and the United States. Notable individuals included Charles Whittemore (1801-1876), a successful industrialist and inventor from Massachusetts, and William Whittemore (1820-1892), a Union Army general during the American Civil War.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Whittemore
Among Census respondents with the surname Whittemore, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Whittemore 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 Whittemore surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.3% · 4,408
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 186
- Two or more races3.1% · 150
- Black or African American0.8% · 41
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 30
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 15
Timeline
Historical Census data for Whittemore
Whittemore 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
#6,463
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,256
+78 bearers (+1.5%)
Per 100,000 1.78
Rank movement Down 356 places
2020
#6,711
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,830
-426 bearers (-8.1%)
Per 100,000 1.62
Rank movement Down 248 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,107 | 5,178 | 1.92 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,463 | 5,256 | 1.78 | +78 bearers (+1.5%) | Down 356 places |
| 2020 | #6,711 | 4,830 | 1.62 | -426 bearers (-8.1%) | Down 248 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 Whittemore 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 | #6,463 | #6,711 | -3.8% |
| Count | 5,256 | 4,830 | -8.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.78 | 1.62 | -9.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Whittemore bearers went from 5,256 to 4,830 (-8.1% change). The surname moved down 248 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,463 to #6,711.
FAQ
Whittemore surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Whittemore?
Name Census estimates that about 5,539 living Americans carry the surname Whittemore. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 61,880 residents.
How common is Whittemore?
Whittemore ranks #6,711 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.62 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,830 people with the surname Whittemore. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,539), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.62 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.62 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Whittemore.
Has Whittemore become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Whittemore went from 5,256 recorded bearers to 4,830. That is a decrease of 426 (-8.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,463 to #6,711.
What does the Census say about the background of Whittemore?
Among Census respondents with the surname Whittemore, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Whittemore in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.3% (4,408 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Whittemore appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.3%), Hispanic (3.9%), Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Whittemore (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 Whittemore mean?
A habitational surname derived from any of several places in England meaning "white pond" or "white marsh." 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 Whittemore (1.62 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 Whittemore?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.