2000
#9,185
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,266
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.21
Rare Last name
Whitton
A locational surname referring to someone from any of the various places called Whitton in England.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,324 Americans carry the last name Whitton. That puts it at #10,554 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.97 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 103,115 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Whitton 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 Whitton with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.3K
1 in 103,115
Census rank
#10,554
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,899 bearers of the surname Whitton in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.97 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10554th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Whitton, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Whitton
The surname Whitton is of English origin and is believed to have originated in the medieval period, probably around the 13th or 14th century. It is derived from the Old English words "hwit" meaning white and "tun" meaning an enclosure or settlement, suggesting that the name was initially given to someone who lived in or near a white or light-colored town or village.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in various historical documents from the 13th and 14th centuries. One notable example is the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which contains a reference to a William de Whitton in Lincolnshire. Additionally, the Placita de Quo Warranto of 1292 mentions a John de Wytteton in Warwickshire, which is believed to be an earlier spelling variation of the name.
In the 14th century, the surname Whitton appeared in several manorial records and tax rolls, indicating that it was a well-established surname by that time. For instance, the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in Yorkshire from the late 14th century list a Thomas de Whitton as a landowner.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Sir Robert de Whitton, a knight from Northumberland who fought in the Scottish Wars of Independence in the late 13th and early 14th centuries. Another notable figure was William Whitton, a merchant and alderman in the city of London during the 15th century, who was mentioned in the city's records in 1436.
In the 16th century, the name Whitton was found in various parts of England, including Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, and Northumberland. One notable individual from this period was Thomas Whitton, a Protestant martyr who was burned at the stake in Lichfield in 1556 during the Marian Persecutions.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Whitton surname continued to be well-represented in various parts of England, with some bearers of the name achieving notable positions. For example, John Whitton (1647-1704) was a Church of England clergyman who served as the Archdeacon of Norfolk, while Sir William Whitton (1693-1771) was a British naval officer and Member of Parliament for Bridport.
As the centuries progressed, the Whitton surname also spread to other parts of the world, including North America, Australia, and New Zealand, as a result of migration and colonization. Some notable individuals with the surname Whitton in more recent times include Henry Whitton (1853-1931), an Australian cricketer and umpire, and Arthur Whitton (1861-1936), a British architect who designed several notable buildings in Sydney, Australia.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Whitton
Among Census respondents with the surname Whitton, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Whitton 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 Whitton surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.4% · 2,593
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 116
- Two or more races3.0% · 88
- Black or African American2.7% · 79
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 21
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Whitton
Whitton 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
#9,940
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,246
-20 bearers (-0.6%)
Per 100,000 1.10
Rank movement Down 755 places
2020
#10,554
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,899
-347 bearers (-10.7%)
Per 100,000 0.97
Rank movement Down 614 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,185 | 3,266 | 1.21 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,940 | 3,246 | 1.10 | -20 bearers (-0.6%) | Down 755 places |
| 2020 | #10,554 | 2,899 | 0.97 | -347 bearers (-10.7%) | Down 614 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 Whitton 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 | #9,940 | #10,554 | -6.2% |
| Count | 3,246 | 2,899 | -10.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.10 | 0.97 | -11.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Whitton bearers went from 3,246 to 2,899 (-10.7% change). The surname moved down 614 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,940 to #10,554.
FAQ
Whitton surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Whitton?
Name Census estimates that about 3,324 living Americans carry the surname Whitton. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 103,115 residents.
How common is Whitton?
Whitton ranks #10,554 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.97 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,899 people with the surname Whitton. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,324), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.97 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.97 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Whitton.
Has Whitton become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Whitton went from 3,246 recorded bearers to 2,899. That is a decrease of 347 (-10.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,940 to #10,554.
What does the Census say about the background of Whitton?
Among Census respondents with the surname Whitton, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Whitton in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.4% (2,593 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Whitton appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.4%), Hispanic (4.0%), Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Whitton (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 Whitton mean?
A locational surname referring to someone from any of the various places called Whitton in England. 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 Whitton (0.97 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 Whitton?
You can see how many people are called Whitton on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.