2000
#2,202
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,135
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.61
Uncommon Last name
Whitmore
A locational surname referring to someone who lived on a chalky or white moor or marsh.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 16,897 Americans carry the last name Whitmore. That puts it at #2,411 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.93 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 20,285 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Whitmore 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 Whitmore with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
17K
1 in 20,285
Census rank
#2,411
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
15K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 14,735 bearers of the surname Whitmore in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.93 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2411th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Whitmore, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.0%. The next largest groups are Black (18.8%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Whitmore
The surname Whitmore is of English origin, derived from a place name referring to a white or light-colored area. It likely emerged in the medieval period, around the 12th or 13th century.
The name is believed to have originated in Staffordshire, where there are several locations with similar names, such as Whitmore Reans and Whitmore Village. It may also be connected to the Whitmore Estate in Shropshire.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Witemore." This suggests the name was already established in England by the late 11th century.
In the 13th century, a Walter de Witemore was documented as holding lands in Staffordshire. This provides evidence of the surname's use during the Middle Ages.
One notable bearer of the name was Sir George Whitmore (c. 1636-1723), an English politician and Member of Parliament for Bridgnorth from 1685 to 1687.
Another prominent figure was William Wolryche Whitmore (1787-1858), an English antiquarian and historian who wrote extensively on the history of Shropshire and Staffordshire.
Reverend Charles Edward Whitmore (1822-1892) was an English clergyman and author, known for his works on the history of the Whitmore family.
In the United States, John Whitmore (1778-1835) was a lawyer and politician who served as a Congressman from Massachusetts from 1811 to 1813.
William Henry Whitmore (1836-1900) was an American genealogist and historian, known for his publications on the early settlers of New England.
The Whitmore surname has a long and well-documented history, with roots dating back to medieval England and connections to various regions, particularly Staffordshire and Shropshire. It has been borne by notable individuals across different fields over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Whitmore
Among Census respondents with the surname Whitmore, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.0%. The next largest groups are Black (18.8%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Whitmore 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 Whitmore surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White72.0% · 10,616
- Black or African American18.8% · 2,770
- Two or more races4.6% · 675
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 461
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 119
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 94
Timeline
Historical Census data for Whitmore
Whitmore 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
#2,380
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,296
+161 bearers (+1.1%)
Per 100,000 5.19
Rank movement Down 178 places
2020
#2,411
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,735
-561 bearers (-3.7%)
Per 100,000 4.93
Rank movement Down 31 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,202 | 15,135 | 5.61 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,380 | 15,296 | 5.19 | +161 bearers (+1.1%) | Down 178 places |
| 2020 | #2,411 | 14,735 | 4.93 | -561 bearers (-3.7%) | Down 31 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 Whitmore 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 | #2,380 | #2,411 | -1.3% |
| Count | 15,296 | 14,735 | -3.7% |
| Per 100K | 5.19 | 4.93 | -5.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Whitmore bearers went from 15,296 to 14,735 (-3.7% change). The surname moved down 31 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,380 to #2,411.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Whitmore
FAQ
Whitmore surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Whitmore?
Name Census estimates that about 16,897 living Americans carry the surname Whitmore. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 20,285 residents.
How common is Whitmore?
Whitmore ranks #2,411 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.93 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 14,735 people with the surname Whitmore. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (16,897), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.93 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.93 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Whitmore.
Has Whitmore become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Whitmore went from 15,296 recorded bearers to 14,735. That is a decrease of 561 (-3.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,380 to #2,411.
What does the Census say about the background of Whitmore?
Among Census respondents with the surname Whitmore, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.0%. The next largest groups are Black (18.8%) and Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Whitmore in the 2020 Census, accounting for 72.0% (10,616 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Whitmore appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (72.0%), Black (18.8%), Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Whitmore (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 Whitmore mean?
A locational surname referring to someone who lived on a chalky or white moor or marsh. 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 Whitmore (4.93 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 common is the surname Whitmore?
If you just want to know how common the surname Whitmore is, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.