Whitelaw
A Scottish surname transferred to a given name meaning "someone of the white meadow".
Name Census estimates that about 0 living Americans carry the first name Whitelaw. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Whitelaw today is around 0 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Whitelaw births was 1892 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Whitelaw. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Whitelaw. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
0
~ - Americans
Peak year
1892
5 babies that year
Average age
-
1892 SSA rank
#1,250
Tracked since 1892
Popularity
Whitelaw: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Whitelaw by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Whitelaw during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1890s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Whitelaw
The given name Whitelaw has its origins in the English language, tracing back to the late 16th or early 17th century. It is a compound name formed by combining the words "white" and "law," which may have initially referred to someone who lived by a set of fair and just principles.
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name can be found in the parish records of St. Dunstan's Church in Stepney, London, where a Whitelaw Bynge was baptized in 1637. This suggests that the name was in use, albeit likely rare, during the early modern period in England.
Whitelaw gained some prominence in the 18th century with the birth of Whitelaw Reid (1837-1912), an American politician and diplomat who served as the United States Ambassador to France and later as the Vice Presidential candidate for the Republican Party in 1892.
Another notable figure with this name was Whitelaw Ainslie (1766-1837), a Scottish-born lawyer and influential political figure in Canada. He served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada and played a significant role in shaping the early legal system of the region.
In the realm of literature, Whitelaw Reid Jr. (1913-1997), the son of the aforementioned Whitelaw Reid, was an American author and journalist who wrote several books on American history and politics.
The name also gained recognition in the field of sports with Whitelaw Reid (1837-1912), an American baseball player and manager who was involved in the early years of professional baseball in the late 19th century.
Lastly, Whitelaw Hamilton (1857-1932), an American politician and lawyer, served as the 33rd Governor of West Virginia from 1925 to 1929, leaving a lasting impact on the state's political landscape.
While the name Whitelaw has remained relatively uncommon throughout history, these notable individuals have contributed to preserving its legacy across various fields, from politics and diplomacy to literature, sports, and law.
People
Whitelaw + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Whitelaw as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with W
Other first names starting with W with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Whitelaw: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Whitelaw?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 0 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Whitelaw going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about - US residents.
Is Whitelaw a common name?
We classify Whitelaw as "Very Rare". It ranks above 2.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Whitelaw most popular?
The single biggest year for Whitelaw was 1892, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Whitelaw is about 0 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Whitelaw in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Whitelaw a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Whitelaw in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Whitelaw still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Whitelaw in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Whitelaw can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How common is the name Whitelaw?
Want to know how many people have the name Whitelaw? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.