2000
#10,570
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,786
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.03
Rare Last name
Whorton
Derived from a place name meaning "farmstead on a muddy or dirty road" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,203 Americans carry the last name Whorton. That puts it at #10,897 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.93 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 107,010 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Whorton 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 Whorton with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.2K
1 in 107,010
Census rank
#10,897
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,793 bearers of the surname Whorton in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.93 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10897th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Whorton, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.2%. The next largest groups are Black (11.9%) and Two or More Races (6.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Whorton
Among Census respondents with the surname Whorton, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.2%. The next largest groups are Black (11.9%) and Two or More Races (6.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Whorton 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 Whorton surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White77.2% · 2,155
- Black or African American11.9% · 331
- Two or more races6.0% · 167
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 98
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 23
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 19
Timeline
Historical Census data for Whorton
Whorton 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
#10,998
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,892
+106 bearers (+3.8%)
Per 100,000 0.98
Rank movement Down 428 places
2020
#10,897
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,793
-99 bearers (-3.4%)
Per 100,000 0.93
Rank movement Up 101 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,570 | 2,786 | 1.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,998 | 2,892 | 0.98 | +106 bearers (+3.8%) | Down 428 places |
| 2020 | #10,897 | 2,793 | 0.93 | -99 bearers (-3.4%) | Up 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 Whorton 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 | #10,998 | #10,897 | 0.9% |
| Count | 2,892 | 2,793 | -3.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.98 | 0.93 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Whorton bearers went from 2,892 to 2,793 (-3.4% change). The surname moved up 101 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,998 to #10,897.
FAQ
Whorton surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Whorton?
Name Census estimates that about 3,203 living Americans carry the surname Whorton. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 107,010 residents.
How common is Whorton?
Whorton ranks #10,897 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.93 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 2,793 people with the surname Whorton. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,203), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.93 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.93 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 Whorton.
Has Whorton become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Whorton went from 2,892 recorded bearers to 2,793. That is a decrease of 99 (-3.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #10,998 to #10,897.
What does the Census say about the background of Whorton?
Among Census respondents with the surname Whorton, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.2%. The next largest groups are Black (11.9%) and Two or More Races (6.0%). 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 Whorton in the 2020 Census, accounting for 77.2% (2,155 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Whorton appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (77.2%), Black (11.9%), Two or More Races (6.0%). 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 Whorton (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 Whorton mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "farmstead on a muddy or dirty road" in Old English. 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 Whorton (0.93 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 Whorton?
You can see how many people are called Whorton on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.