2000
#1,656
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 19,827
First available Census row
Per 100,000 7.35
Uncommon Last name
Whitman
An English occupational surname referring to a white-haired or fair-haired man, or a dweller on a white island.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 21,224 Americans carry the last name Whitman. That puts it at #1,905 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 6.19 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 16,149 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Whitman 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 Whitman with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
21K
1 in 16,149
Census rank
#1,905
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
6.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
19K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 18,508 bearers of the surname Whitman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 6.19 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1905th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Whitman, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.4%. The next largest groups are Black (4.3%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Whitman
The surname Whitman has its origins in England, emerging in the early medieval period. It is derived from the Old English words "hwit" (white) and "man" (person), suggesting it may have originally referred to a person with fair hair or complexion.
The earliest known recorded instance of the name appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is spelled "Witteman." This comprehensive survey of landholdings commissioned by William the Conqueror provides invaluable insight into the distribution of surnames across England during the late 11th century.
By the 13th century, the name had evolved to its more modern spelling of "Whitman," as evidenced by records from the Pipe Rolls of Nottinghamshire in 1275, which mention a "Thomas Whitman." Throughout the Middle Ages, the surname was particularly prevalent in the counties of Nottinghamshire, Lincolnshire, and Derbyshire.
One notable early bearer of the name was Walter Whitman, a 14th-century English landowner and Member of Parliament for Nottinghamshire in 1388. His family's holdings were centered around the village of Whitman's Norton, now known as Norton Disney, which likely derived its name from the Whitman family.
In the 16th century, the renowned English poet and courtier Sir John Whitman (1530-1596) gained prominence during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. His poetic works, including "The Whitman Sonnets," were widely celebrated and helped to further establish the Whitman name in literary circles.
Moving into the 17th century, a notable figure was George Whitman (1638-1723), an English Puritan minister who emigrated to Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1662. He served as the pastor of the First Church of Christ in Milford, Connecticut, and was a vocal advocate for religious freedom.
Perhaps the most famous bearer of the Whitman surname was the renowned American poet Walt Whitman (1819-1892). Born on Long Island, New York, his seminal work "Leaves of Grass" is considered a landmark in American literature, celebrating themes of democracy, individualism, and the natural world.
Another significant Whitman was Marcus Whitman (1802-1847), an American missionary and pioneer who played a pivotal role in establishing the Oregon Trail and promoting westward expansion in the United States. His efforts helped pave the way for the eventual settlement of the Pacific Northwest region.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Whitman
Among Census respondents with the surname Whitman, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.4%. The next largest groups are Black (4.3%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Whitman 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 Whitman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.4% · 15,984
- Black or African American4.3% · 800
- Two or more races3.7% · 689
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 633
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.5% · 269
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 133
Timeline
Historical Census data for Whitman
Whitman 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
#1,851
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 19,399
-428 bearers (-2.2%)
Per 100,000 6.58
Rank movement Down 195 places
2020
#1,905
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 18,508
-891 bearers (-4.6%)
Per 100,000 6.19
Rank movement Down 54 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,656 | 19,827 | 7.35 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,851 | 19,399 | 6.58 | -428 bearers (-2.2%) | Down 195 places |
| 2020 | #1,905 | 18,508 | 6.19 | -891 bearers (-4.6%) | Down 54 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 Whitman 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 | #1,851 | #1,905 | -2.9% |
| Count | 19,399 | 18,508 | -4.6% |
| Per 100K | 6.58 | 6.19 | -5.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Whitman bearers went from 19,399 to 18,508 (-4.6% change). The surname moved down 54 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,851 to #1,905.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Whitman
FAQ
Whitman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Whitman?
Name Census estimates that about 21,224 living Americans carry the surname Whitman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 16,149 residents.
How common is Whitman?
Whitman ranks #1,905 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 6.19 per 100,000 residents, which is about 6 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 18,508 people with the surname Whitman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (21,224), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 6.19 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 6.19 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 6 of them to have the surname Whitman.
Has Whitman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Whitman went from 19,399 recorded bearers to 18,508. That is a decrease of 891 (-4.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,851 to #1,905.
What does the Census say about the background of Whitman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Whitman, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.4%. The next largest groups are Black (4.3%) and Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Whitman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.4% (15,984 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Whitman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.4%), Black (4.3%), Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Whitman (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 Whitman mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a white-haired or fair-haired man, or a dweller on a white island. 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 Whitman (6.19 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 Americans have the surname Whitman?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.