2000
#5,189
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,187
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.29
Rare Last name
Whitehouse
A locational surname referring to someone who lived in or near a white-colored house.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,888 Americans carry the last name Whitehouse. That puts it at #5,587 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.01 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 49,761 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Whitehouse 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 Whitehouse with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
6.9K
1 in 49,761
Census rank
#5,587
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,007 bearers of the surname Whitehouse in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.01 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5587th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Whitehouse, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Whitehouse
The surname Whitehouse has its origins in England, dating back to the medieval period. It is thought to be a locational name, derived from a place name referring to a dwelling of particular significance, such as a manor house or a religious house painted white. The name is believed to have emerged in the 13th or 14th century.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex, dated 1296, which mention a Robert de Whitehous. Another early reference is in the Hundred Rolls of Bedfordshire from 1273, where a William de la Whytehuse is listed. These examples suggest that the name may have originally been spelled with variations such as Whitehous or Whytehuse.
In the 15th century, the name appears in various records across England, including the Patent Rolls of 1441, which mention a John Whitehous. The Whitehouse surname is also found in the Hearth Tax Rolls of Yorkshire from the late 17th century, indicating its presence in that region.
Notable individuals with the surname Whitehouse include William Whitehouse (1635-1696), an English clergyman and author who wrote a work titled "The Protestant Reconciler." Another prominent figure was Sir John Whitehouse (1786-1855), a British naval officer who served in the Napoleonic Wars and later became a Member of Parliament.
In the 19th century, Charles Whitehouse (1833-1891) was a renowned English architect and surveyor, best known for his work on the restoration of Chester Cathedral. Additionally, Walter Whitehouse (1874-1957) was a British businessman and philanthropist who founded the Whitehouse Trust, a charitable organization.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Whitehouse surname in America dates back to the 17th century, with the arrival of Thomas Whitehouse, who settled in Massachusetts in 1638. Over time, the name spread across various regions of the United States.
While the Whitehouse surname is predominantly English in origin, it has also been adopted by families in other parts of the British Isles and beyond, reflecting the movement and settlement patterns of different populations throughout history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Whitehouse
Among Census respondents with the surname Whitehouse, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Whitehouse 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 Whitehouse surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.1% · 5,470
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 195
- Two or more races3.2% · 190
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.1% · 68
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 44
- Black or African American0.7% · 40
Timeline
Historical Census data for Whitehouse
Whitehouse 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
#5,555
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,258
+71 bearers (+1.1%)
Per 100,000 2.12
Rank movement Down 366 places
2020
#5,587
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,007
-251 bearers (-4.0%)
Per 100,000 2.01
Rank movement Down 32 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,189 | 6,187 | 2.29 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,555 | 6,258 | 2.12 | +71 bearers (+1.1%) | Down 366 places |
| 2020 | #5,587 | 6,007 | 2.01 | -251 bearers (-4.0%) | Down 32 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 Whitehouse 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 | #5,555 | #5,587 | -0.6% |
| Count | 6,258 | 6,007 | -4.0% |
| Per 100K | 2.12 | 2.01 | -5.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Whitehouse bearers went from 6,258 to 6,007 (-4.0% change). The surname moved down 32 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,555 to #5,587.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Whitehouse
FAQ
Whitehouse surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Whitehouse?
Name Census estimates that about 6,888 living Americans carry the surname Whitehouse. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 49,761 residents.
How common is Whitehouse?
Whitehouse ranks #5,587 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.01 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,007 people with the surname Whitehouse. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,888), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.01 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.01 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Whitehouse.
Has Whitehouse become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Whitehouse went from 6,258 recorded bearers to 6,007. That is a decrease of 251 (-4.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,555 to #5,587.
What does the Census say about the background of Whitehouse?
Among Census respondents with the surname Whitehouse, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (3.2%). 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 Whitehouse in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.1% (5,470 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Whitehouse appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.1%), Hispanic (3.2%), Two or More Races (3.2%). 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 Whitehouse (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 Whitehouse mean?
A locational surname referring to someone who lived in or near a white-colored house. 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 Whitehouse (2.01 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 Whitehouse?
Find out how many people have the surname Whitehouse on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.