2000
#2,696
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,283
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.55
Uncommon Last name
Witherspoon
A locational surname referring to someone from a place near a sheep enclosure or a fork in a river.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 14,190 Americans carry the last name Witherspoon. That puts it at #2,833 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.14 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 24,155 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Witherspoon 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 Witherspoon with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
14K
1 in 24,155
Census rank
#2,833
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
12K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 12,374 bearers of the surname Witherspoon in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.14 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2833rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Witherspoon, the largest self-reported group is Black at 59.9%. The next largest groups are White (30.9%) and Two or More Races (5.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Witherspoon
The surname Witherspoon has its origins in England, with the earliest known records dating back to the late 16th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old English words "wider" meaning "against" and "spoon" referring to a wooded area or forest, suggesting a possible connection to someone who lived near or worked in a forest.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Witherspoon can be found in the parish records of Leyburn, Yorkshire, in 1596, where a John Witherspoon was listed. The name also appears in the Hearth Tax Rolls of County Durham in 1666, indicating its presence in the north of England during that period.
While the Witherspoon surname does not appear in the Domesday Book of 1086, it is likely that the name evolved from earlier place names or descriptive surnames related to the individual's occupation or location.
Among the notable historical figures bearing the Witherspoon surname is John Witherspoon (1723-1794), a Scottish-American Presbyterian minister and a signatory of the United States Declaration of Independence. He served as the president of the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University) from 1768 until his death.
Another prominent individual was Thomas Witherspoon (1781-1853), an American politician and lawyer who served as a United States Senator from South Carolina from 1819 to 1825.
In the literary world, John Witherspoon (1776-1854), a Scottish poet and clergyman, is remembered for his work "The Church of Scotland: A Poem." He was born in Paisley, Scotland, and served as the minister of the Laigh Kirk in Paisley from 1810 until his death.
The surname Witherspoon can also be found in the military records of the American Civil War, with individuals such as William Witherspoon (1836-1862), who served as a Union Army officer and was killed in action during the Battle of Shiloh in Tennessee.
Thomas Witherspoon (1781-1853), mentioned earlier, had a son named John Witherspoon (1809-1868), who followed in his father's footsteps and pursued a career in law and politics, serving as a member of the South Carolina House of Representatives.
These examples illustrate the widespread presence of the Witherspoon surname throughout history, spanning various professions and geographical locations, but with a common English origin and evolution over several centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Witherspoon
Among Census respondents with the surname Witherspoon, the largest self-reported group is Black at 59.9%. The next largest groups are White (30.9%) and Two or More Races (5.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Witherspoon 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 Witherspoon surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American59.9% · 7,412
- White30.9% · 3,825
- Two or more races5.3% · 654
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 383
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 53
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 47
Timeline
Historical Census data for Witherspoon
Witherspoon 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
#2,736
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,171
+888 bearers (+7.2%)
Per 100,000 4.47
Rank movement Down 40 places
2020
#2,833
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,374
-797 bearers (-6.1%)
Per 100,000 4.14
Rank movement Down 97 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,696 | 12,283 | 4.55 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,736 | 13,171 | 4.47 | +888 bearers (+7.2%) | Down 40 places |
| 2020 | #2,833 | 12,374 | 4.14 | -797 bearers (-6.1%) | Down 97 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 Witherspoon 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 | #2,736 | #2,833 | -3.5% |
| Count | 13,171 | 12,374 | -6.1% |
| Per 100K | 4.47 | 4.14 | -7.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Witherspoon bearers went from 13,171 to 12,374 (-6.1% change). The surname moved down 97 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,736 to #2,833.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Witherspoon
FAQ
Witherspoon surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Witherspoon?
Name Census estimates that about 14,190 living Americans carry the surname Witherspoon. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 24,155 residents.
How common is Witherspoon?
Witherspoon ranks #2,833 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.14 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 12,374 people with the surname Witherspoon. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (14,190), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.14 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.14 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 Witherspoon.
Has Witherspoon become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Witherspoon went from 13,171 recorded bearers to 12,374. That is a decrease of 797 (-6.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,736 to #2,833.
What does the Census say about the background of Witherspoon?
Among Census respondents with the surname Witherspoon, the largest self-reported group is Black at 59.9%. The next largest groups are White (30.9%) and Two or More Races (5.3%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Witherspoon in the 2020 Census, accounting for 59.9% (7,412 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Witherspoon appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (59.9%), White (30.9%), Two or More Races (5.3%). 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 Witherspoon (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 Witherspoon mean?
A locational surname referring to someone from a place near a sheep enclosure or a fork in a river. 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 Witherspoon (4.14 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 surname Witherspoon?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.