2000
#934
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 34,251
First available Census row
Per 100,000 12.70
Uncommon Last name
Whitney
Of English origin, referring to a person who lived near a white island or near a bend in the river.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 38,426 Americans carry the last name Whitney. That puts it at #1,029 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 11.21 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 8,920 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Whitney 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 Whitney with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
38K
1 in 8,920
Census rank
#1,029
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
11.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
34K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 33,509 bearers of the surname Whitney in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 11.21 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1029th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Whitney, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.7%. The next largest groups are Black (7.9%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Whitney
The surname WHITNEY is of English origin, derived from the Old English words "hwit" meaning white and "ey" meaning island or meadow. It likely refers to a person who lived on a "white" or light-colored meadow or island. The earliest recorded instance of the surname dates back to the 13th century in Herefordshire, England.
The WHITNEY name has a strong connection to several notable historical figures. One of the earliest recorded individuals was Sir Robert Whitney, who fought in the Battle of Agincourt in 1415 during the Hundred Years' War. Another prominent bearer was Geffrey Whitney, an English poet and writer who published "A Choice of Emblems" in 1586, which was influential in the development of emblem literature.
The WHITNEY surname also has ties to the American colonies. John Whitney, born in 1589 in England, was among the early Puritan settlers who arrived in Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1635. His descendants went on to play significant roles in the early years of the United States, including Henry Whitney, born in 1719, who served as a Lieutenant Colonel in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War.
In the 19th century, Eli Whitney, born in 1765 in Massachusetts, gained fame as the inventor of the cotton gin, a revolutionary machine that transformed the cotton industry and had a profound impact on the economy and society of the American South. His invention made cotton a lucrative crop, but also led to an increased demand for slave labor.
Another notable bearer of the WHITNEY name was William Dwight Whitney, born in 1827 in Massachusetts. He was a prominent linguist, philologist, and lexicographer, known for his work on Sanskrit grammar and his contributions to the development of modern linguistic theory. He was also the chief editor of the first edition of the Century Dictionary.
Throughout history, the WHITNEY surname has been associated with various locations, including the village of Whitney in Herefordshire, England, which likely served as the origin of the name. Additionally, there are several places named Whitney in the United States, including towns in Massachusetts, Vermont, and Texas, reflecting the influence of the early WHITNEY settlers in the American colonies.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Whitney
Among Census respondents with the surname Whitney, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.7%. The next largest groups are Black (7.9%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Whitney 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 Whitney surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White82.7% · 27,700
- Black or African American7.9% · 2,656
- Two or more races4.1% · 1,366
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 1,226
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 331
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 230
Timeline
Historical Census data for Whitney
Whitney 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
#994
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 35,118
+867 bearers (+2.5%)
Per 100,000 11.91
Rank movement Down 60 places
2020
#1,029
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 33,509
-1,609 bearers (-4.6%)
Per 100,000 11.21
Rank movement Down 35 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #934 | 34,251 | 12.70 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #994 | 35,118 | 11.91 | +867 bearers (+2.5%) | Down 60 places |
| 2020 | #1,029 | 33,509 | 11.21 | -1,609 bearers (-4.6%) | Down 35 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 Whitney 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 | #994 | #1,029 | -3.5% |
| Count | 35,118 | 33,509 | -4.6% |
| Per 100K | 11.91 | 11.21 | -5.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Whitney bearers went from 35,118 to 33,509 (-4.6% change). The surname moved down 35 positions in the national ranking, going from #994 to #1,029.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Whitney
FAQ
Whitney surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Whitney?
Name Census estimates that about 38,426 living Americans carry the surname Whitney. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 8,920 residents.
How common is Whitney?
Whitney ranks #1,029 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 11.21 per 100,000 residents, which is about 11 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 33,509 people with the surname Whitney. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (38,426), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 11.21 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 11.21 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 11 of them to have the surname Whitney.
Has Whitney become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Whitney went from 35,118 recorded bearers to 33,509. That is a decrease of 1,609 (-4.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #994 to #1,029.
What does the Census say about the background of Whitney?
Among Census respondents with the surname Whitney, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.7%. The next largest groups are Black (7.9%) and Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Whitney in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.7% (27,700 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Whitney appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (82.7%), Black (7.9%), Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Whitney (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 Whitney mean?
Of English origin, referring to a person who lived near a white island or near a bend in the river. 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 Whitney (11.21 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 surname Whitney?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.