2000
#2,393
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,876
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.14
Uncommon Last name
Whitten
Derived from a place name meaning "white" or "fair-colored," likely referring to a light-colored landscape feature.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 15,099 Americans carry the last name Whitten. That puts it at #2,672 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.41 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 22,700 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Whitten 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 Whitten with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
15K
1 in 22,700
Census rank
#2,672
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
13K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 13,167 bearers of the surname Whitten in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.41 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2672nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Whitten, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.0%. The next largest groups are Black (7.9%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Whitten
The surname Whitten is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "hwit" meaning "white." It arose as a descriptive name for someone with pale or fair complexion or hair color. The name emerged in the early medieval period, around the 12th century.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Whitten can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire from 1176, where it appears as "Whitene." This suggests that the surname was already in use by the late 12th century in parts of England.
In the 13th century, the name is documented in various forms, such as "Whiten" and "Witen," reflecting regional variations in spelling and pronunciation. The Hundred Rolls of 1273 mention a "William le Whiten" in Oxfordshire.
During the 14th century, the surname began to take on its more modern spelling of "Whitten." The Poll Tax Returns of 1379 list a "John Whitten" in Yorkshire, indicating the name's presence in northern England at that time.
Notable historical figures bearing the Whitten surname include Sir John Whitten (1555-1629), an English politician who served as Lord Mayor of London in 1612. In the 17th century, there was also a prominent Puritan minister named John Whitten (1620-1692) who emigrated to Massachusetts Bay Colony.
Other notable individuals with the Whitten surname include:
1. Sir Thomas Whitten (1676-1748), an English naval officer and colonial governor of Nova Scotia.
2. Joseph Whitten (1765-1841), an American soldier and politician who served in the War of 1812.
3. Robert Whitten (1819-1887), an American lawyer and politician from Virginia who served in the Confederate Congress during the Civil War.
4. Alice Whitten (1865-1946), an American educator and suffragist who advocated for women's rights and education reform.
5. John Henry Whitten (1906-1992), an American artist known for his vibrant abstract expressionist paintings.
While the Whitten surname is predominantly found in the United States and United Kingdom, it has also been documented in other English-speaking countries like Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, reflecting the historical migration patterns of English settlers.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Whitten
Among Census respondents with the surname Whitten, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.0%. The next largest groups are Black (7.9%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Whitten 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 Whitten surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.0% · 10,928
- Black or African American7.9% · 1,041
- Two or more races4.4% · 582
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 472
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 75
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 69
Timeline
Historical Census data for Whitten
Whitten 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
#2,571
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,054
+178 bearers (+1.3%)
Per 100,000 4.76
Rank movement Down 178 places
2020
#2,672
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,167
-887 bearers (-6.3%)
Per 100,000 4.41
Rank movement Down 101 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,393 | 13,876 | 5.14 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,571 | 14,054 | 4.76 | +178 bearers (+1.3%) | Down 178 places |
| 2020 | #2,672 | 13,167 | 4.41 | -887 bearers (-6.3%) | Down 101 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 Whitten 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 | #2,571 | #2,672 | -3.9% |
| Count | 14,054 | 13,167 | -6.3% |
| Per 100K | 4.76 | 4.41 | -7.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Whitten bearers went from 14,054 to 13,167 (-6.3% change). The surname moved down 101 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,571 to #2,672.
FAQ
Whitten surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Whitten?
Name Census estimates that about 15,099 living Americans carry the surname Whitten. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 22,700 residents.
How common is Whitten?
Whitten ranks #2,672 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.41 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 13,167 people with the surname Whitten. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (15,099), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.41 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.41 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Whitten.
Has Whitten become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Whitten went from 14,054 recorded bearers to 13,167. That is a decrease of 887 (-6.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,571 to #2,672.
What does the Census say about the background of Whitten?
Among Census respondents with the surname Whitten, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.0%. The next largest groups are Black (7.9%) and Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Whitten in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.0% (10,928 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Whitten appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.0%), Black (7.9%), Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Whitten (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 Whitten mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "white" or "fair-colored," likely referring to a light-colored landscape feature. 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 Whitten (4.41 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 people have the last name Whitten?
For a quick modern take, check how many people are called Whitten on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.