Whyatt
A modern English masculine name derived from the Old English word "hwæt" meaning "quick" or "lively".
Name Census estimates that about 349 living Americans carry the first name Whyatt. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Whyatt today is around 15 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Whyatt births was 2009 (31 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Whyatt. 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.
People living today
349
~ 1 in 982,104 Americans
Peak year
2009
31 babies that year
Average age
15
years old
2023 SSA rank
#9,691
Tracked since 1996
Census
Whyatt in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 341 people with the first name Whyatt, which placed it at #27,024 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#27,024
National first-name rank
People counted
341
341 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
88.3% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Whyatt
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Whyatt is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.7%) and Hispanic (4.4%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Whyatt 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 name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Whyatt at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.3% · 301
- Two or more races4.7% · 16
- Hispanic or Latino4.4% · 15
- Black or African American1.8% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 3
Popularity
Whyatt: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Whyatt from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 175 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2010s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Whyatt 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 Whyatt during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Whyatt
The name Whyatt is of English origin and is derived from the Old English word "hwæt," which means "brave" or "bold." It is believed to have emerged during the Anglo-Saxon period in England, around the 5th to 11th centuries AD.
The name was initially used as a descriptive term to honor individuals who displayed courage and bravery in battle or other significant events. It was often given to warriors or leaders who had proven their valor and strength.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Whyatt can be found in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, a collection of annals detailing the history of the Anglo-Saxons. This chronicle, written in Old English, contains accounts of various battles and events from the 9th to 12th centuries, where individuals with the name Whyatt are mentioned.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Whyatt. One such person was Whyatt the Bold, a legendary Anglo-Saxon warrior who is said to have fought valiantly against Viking invaders in the 9th century. While little is known about his actual life, his exploits and bravery have been celebrated in folklore and oral traditions.
Another prominent figure with the name Whyatt was Whyatt of Mercia, a nobleman who lived during the 10th century. He was a trusted advisor to King Ethelred the Unready and played a significant role in the defense of England against Danish invasions.
In the 12th century, Whyatt the Scribe, a renowned monk and calligrapher, was known for his exceptional skill in creating beautifully illuminated manuscripts. His works, which included religious texts and historical chronicles, are considered masterpieces of medieval book production.
During the 14th century, Whyatt the Archer gained fame for his exceptional archery skills. He served as a skilled longbowman in the English armies during the Hundred Years' War against France, and his exploits were celebrated in ballads and stories of the time.
Another notable figure was Whyatt the Explorer, an English navigator and explorer who embarked on voyages to the Americas in the late 16th century. He was part of the expeditions that helped establish English settlements in the New World, contributing to the expansion of the British Empire.
These are just a few examples of individuals throughout history who have borne the name Whyatt, a name that has been associated with bravery, courage, and notable achievements in various fields.
People
Whyatt + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Whyatt 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
Whyatt: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Whyatt?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 349 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Whyatt 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 1 in 982,104 US residents.
Is Whyatt a common name?
We classify Whyatt as "Very Rare". It ranks above 80.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 352 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Whyatt most popular?
The single biggest year for Whyatt was 2009, when 31 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Whyatt is about 15 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Whyatt in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 341 people with the name Whyatt, or 0.11 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #27,024 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Whyatt in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Whyatt?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Whyatt appears almost entirely male. Of the 346 people counted with this name, 99.4% were male and only a very small share were female. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Whyatt?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Whyatt is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.7%) and Hispanic (4.4%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Whyatt most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Whyatt in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.3% (301 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
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 Whyatt in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Whyatt a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Whyatt 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 Whyatt still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Whyatt 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 Whyatt 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.
How many people are named Whyatt?
Find out how many Americans are named Whyatt on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.