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

Whorton, 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 Whorton surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Whorton in America

Whorton is the 10998th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Whorton surname appeared 2,892 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Whorton.

We can also compare 2010 data for Whorton 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 Whorton

The surname Whorton is believed to have originated in England, likely during the medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Old English words "hwer" meaning a bend in a river and "tun" meaning a town or settlement, suggesting that the name originated from a place name referring to a settlement near a bend in a river.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Horton" or "Whorton" in reference to various locations in counties such as Yorkshire, Staffordshire, and Buckinghamshire. This suggests that the name may have originated as a locational surname, given to individuals who hailed from these places.

In the 13th century, records show individuals with the name Whorton living in various parts of England, including Northamptonshire and Yorkshire. One notable individual from this time was William de Whorton, who was recorded as holding lands in Northamptonshire in 1273.

During the 14th and 15th centuries, the name continued to appear in various records, often associated with landed gentry and notable families. One such family was the Whortons of Stourton, a noble family from Staffordshire. Sir Thomas Whorton (c. 1430-1491) was a prominent member of this family and served as a Member of Parliament for Staffordshire.

In the 16th century, the name Whorton gained further prominence with individuals like Francis Whorton (c. 1550-1615), an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Southwark and was known for his involvement in the colonization of Virginia.

Other notable individuals with the surname Whorton include Sir Thomas Whorton (c. 1545-1614), an English courtier and Member of Parliament, and Michael Whorton (1586-1647), an English clergyman who served as the Dean of York.

Throughout the centuries, the surname Whorton has undergone various spelling variations, such as Whorton, Whoreton, Whortton, and Wharton, reflecting regional dialects and variations in record-keeping practices. Despite these variations, the name has maintained its roots and historical significance.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Whorton

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

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

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

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