NameCensus.

UK surname

Whiting

A surname referring to a person with fair or white hair, complexion, or clothing.

In the 1881 census there were 5,764 people recorded with the Whiting surname, ranking it #766 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 8,373, ranked #786, down from #766 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, London parishes and St Pancras. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Suffolk Coastal, Colchester and County Durham.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Whiting is 8,933 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 45.3%.

1881 census count

5,764

Ranked #766

Modern count

8,373

2016, ranked #786

Peak year

1999

8,933 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Whiting had 5,764 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #766 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 8,373 in 2016, ranked #786.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 8,668 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Whiting surname distribution map

The map shows where the Whiting surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Whiting surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Whiting over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 3,742 #763
1861 historical 3,579 #784
1881 historical 5,764 #766
1891 historical 6,571 #695
1901 historical 7,763 #691
1911 historical 8,668 #568
1997 modern 8,418 #758
1998 modern 8,874 #740
1999 modern 8,933 #743
2000 modern 8,892 #740
2001 modern 8,700 #742
2002 modern 8,779 #747
2003 modern 8,516 #755
2004 modern 8,509 #752
2005 modern 8,314 #764
2006 modern 8,288 #771
2007 modern 8,336 #771
2008 modern 8,372 #774
2009 modern 8,557 #776
2010 modern 8,636 #783
2011 modern 8,527 #783
2012 modern 8,422 #777
2013 modern 8,586 #774
2014 modern 8,596 #777
2015 modern 8,486 #780
2016 modern 8,373 #786

Geography

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Where Whitings are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, London parishes, St Pancras and Haverhill, Little Wratting. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Suffolk Coastal, Colchester, County Durham and North West Leicestershire. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff Gloucestershire
2 London parishes London 1
3 London parishes London 3
4 St Pancras London (North Districts)
5 Haverhill, Little Wratting Suffolk

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Suffolk Coastal 003 Suffolk Coastal
2 Colchester 021 Colchester
3 Suffolk Coastal 004 Suffolk Coastal
4 County Durham 043 County Durham
5 North West Leicestershire 001 North West Leicestershire

Forenames

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First names often paired with Whiting

These lists show first names that appear often with the Whiting surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Whiting

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Whiting, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities

Group

Rural Amenity

Nationally, the Whiting surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Whiting household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

This Group comprises older parents or retirees, with no resident dependent children, and with the lowest residential densities in this Supergroup. Predominantly UK-born, residents typically live in detached houses, although others do live in semi-detached and terraced properties. The level of multiple car ownership is the highest in this Supergroup. Most houses are owner occupied although social renting is also present. Many concentrations occur in high amenity rural locations, such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Wider pattern

Pervasive throughout the UK, members of this Supergroup typically own (or are buying) their detached, semi-detached or terraced homes. They are also typically educated to A Level/Highers or degree level and work in skilled or professional occupations. Typically born in the UK, some families have children, although the median adult age is above 45 and some property has become under-occupied after children have left home. This Supergroup is pervasive not only in suburban locations, but also in neighbourhoods at or beyond the edge of cities that adjoin rural parts of the country.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs

Within London, Whiting is most associated with areas classed as Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs, part of Young Families and Mainstream Employment. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Mainly concentrated in suburban areas, these terraced and semi-detached developments are less overcrowded than the Supergroup average, and resident households are more likely to own two or more cars. There are fewer residents aged 25-44, and a larger share of residents employed in administrative and secretarial occupations. Residents are more likely to have been born in the UK, less likely to have been born in the EU or Africa, and much less likely to self-identify as Bangladeshi.

Wider London pattern

Many families in these neighbourhoods have young children. Housing is principally in the social rented sector, in terraced or semi-detached units. While over-all residential densities are low, overcrowding is also prevalent locally. Residents are drawn from a range of ethnic minorities, with many identifying as Black and above average numbers born in Africa. Numbers identifying as of Chinese, Indian or White ethnicity are below average. Levels of proficiency in English are below average. Levels of separation or divorce and incidence of disability are both above average. Education is typically limited to Level 1, 2, or apprenticeship qualifications. Few residents work in professional or managerial occupations but the employment structure is otherwise diverse: it includes skilled trades, caring, leisure and other service occupations, sales and customer service occupations, construction, and work as process, plant, and machine operatives.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Whiting is most concentrated in decile 7 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname near the middle of the scale.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

7
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Whiting falls in decile 6 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname near the middle of the scale.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

6
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Whiting is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Whiting, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Whiting

The surname Whiting originated from England, with the earliest known references dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to be an occupational name derived from the Old English word "hwit," meaning white, and was initially used to refer to someone who worked in trades involving white materials or products, such as a bleacher or a whitener.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Hundredorum Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1273, where a certain Robertus Whyting is mentioned. The Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327 also list a Thomas le Whytynge, indicating that the name was in use across various regions of England during that time.

The Domesday Book, the famous survey commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, does not contain any direct references to the name Whiting. However, it does mention several place names that may have influenced the development of the surname, such as Whitton in Lincolnshire and Whittington in Staffordshire.

During the 14th and 15th centuries, the name Whiting began to appear more frequently in various records, suggesting that it had become a well-established surname. One notable individual from this period was Robert Whiting (c. 1380-1460), an English theologian and the last Warden of the Grey Friars in London before the Dissolution of the Monasteries under King Henry VIII.

In the 16th century, the name Whiting gained further prominence with the birth of John Whiting (1537-1599), an English Catholic priest and martyr who was executed during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I for his involvement in the Babington Plot to assassinate the Queen and replace her with Mary, Queen of Scots.

Other notable individuals with the surname Whiting include Samuel Whiting (1597-1679), an English Puritan minister and one of the founders of the town of Lynn, Massachusetts; John Whiting (1617-1692), an English Puritan minister and one of the founders of Hartford, Connecticut; and William Whiting (1825-1878), an English poet and novelist best known for his works such as "The World Beautiful" and "The Fireside Encyclopaedia of Poetry."

Throughout history, the surname Whiting has also been associated with various place names, such as Whittington in Shropshire, Whittingslow in Cheshire, and Whittingham in Northumberland, further reinforcing its English origins and connections to the concept of whiteness or light.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Whiting families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Whiting surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Middlesex leads with 668 Whitings recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.19x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 668 1.19x
Suffolk 479 6.99x
Surrey 474 1.73x
Gloucestershire 412 3.73x
Yorkshire 376 0.67x
Kent 332 1.73x
Essex 295 2.66x
Northamptonshire 224 4.23x
Hampshire 203 1.76x
Sussex 200 2.11x
Berkshire 181 4.29x
Lincolnshire 174 1.93x
Norfolk 162 1.87x
Warwickshire 156 1.10x
Lancashire 142 0.21x
Buckinghamshire 129 3.79x
Herefordshire 116 5.03x
Somerset 96 1.06x
Oxfordshire 83 2.39x
Derbyshire 80 0.91x
Nottinghamshire 77 1.02x
Bedfordshire 76 2.61x
Wiltshire 75 1.51x
Worcestershire 56 0.76x
Durham 54 0.32x
Leicestershire 48 0.77x
Devon 47 0.40x
Cornwall 41 0.64x
Hertfordshire 38 0.98x
Lanarkshire 35 0.19x
Monmouthshire 34 0.84x
Staffordshire 32 0.17x
Dorset 28 0.76x
Glamorgan 25 0.26x
Cambridgeshire 22 0.62x
Cheshire 20 0.16x
Brecknockshire 19 1.69x
Northumberland 12 0.14x
Midlothian 10 0.13x
Shropshire 9 0.19x
Rutland 5 1.21x
Huntingdonshire 4 0.36x
Royal Navy 4 0.60x
Denbighshire 3 0.14x
Ayrshire 2 0.05x
Radnorshire 2 0.44x
Caernarfonshire 1 0.04x
Caithness 1 0.13x
Channel Islands 1 0.06x
Cumberland 1 0.02x
Flintshire 1 0.07x
Montgomeryshire 1 0.08x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Lambeth in Surrey leads with 107 Whitings recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.18x.

Place Total Index
Lambeth 107 2.18x
Bisley 91 91.02x
Haverhill 77 126.50x
Islington London 69 1.27x
St Pancras London 67 1.48x
Camberwell 63 1.75x
Battersea 61 2.95x
Nottingham St Mary 56 2.86x
Birmingham 50 1.06x
Portsea 49 2.17x
Holy Trinity 48 3.58x
Cheltenham 47 5.52x
Croydon 45 2.96x
Hackney London 43 1.36x
Bury St Edmunds St Mary 41 31.88x
Buckland 36 258.62x
Greenwich 35 3.91x
Aston 34 0.87x
West Ham 34 1.39x
Shoreditch London 33 1.35x
St George Hanover 33 4.49x
St Marylebone London 33 1.10x
Northampton St Giles 32 15.88x
Paddington London 31 1.50x
Mile End Old Town 30 3.38x
Lewisham 28 2.74x
Bodmin 26 24.68x
Great Driffield 26 22.73x
Ifield 25 63.21x
Stoke Goldington 25 160.67x
Great Cheverell 23 297.16x
Leicester St Margaret 23 1.51x
Heath Reach 22 106.28x
Newbury 22 16.27x
Plymouth St Andrew 22 2.44x
St Andrew Holborn 22 11.54x
Stoke Newington London 22 5.02x
Tottenham 22 2.46x
Avening 21 53.87x
Bristol Temple 21 28.91x
Chelsea London 21 1.24x
Hintlesham 21 191.61x
Minchinhampton 21 23.89x
Pebmarsh 21 210.42x
Putney 21 8.19x
Clerkenwell London 20 1.51x
East Haddon 20 138.31x
Sculcoates 20 2.26x
West Mersea 20 93.99x
Leiston 19 40.37x
Toxteth Park 19 0.84x
Hedworth Monkton Jarrow 18 2.48x
Kensington London 18 0.58x
Kenton 18 366.60x
Northfleet 18 10.65x
Wandsworth 18 3.32x
Bermondsey 17 1.02x
Bristol St Philip Jacob 17 1.64x
Creeksea 17 600.71x
Helmingham 17 259.54x
Newington 17 0.82x
Southminster 17 69.79x
Badingham 16 123.46x
Brandesburton 16 109.44x
Brighton 16 0.84x
Hornsea 16 45.25x
Olney 16 34.02x
Bury St Edmunds St James 15 8.20x
Daventry 15 20.04x
Deptford St Paul 15 1.01x
Doveridge 15 111.94x
Frome 15 6.93x
Govan 15 0.33x
Liverpool 15 0.37x
Reading St Giles 15 3.62x
Reading St Mary 15 4.43x
St Lawrence 15 11.37x
Westbury On Severn 15 34.32x
Wrangle 14 62.44x
Yatton Keynell 14 137.93x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Whiting surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Mary 340
Elizabeth 198
Sarah 179
Emma 116
Eliza 106
Ellen 101
Jane 98
Alice 90
Ann 90
Annie 82
Emily 78
Hannah 56
Edith 52
Martha 51
Harriet 48
Ada 42
Charlotte 39
Maria 39
Caroline 38
Florence 34
Margaret 34
Susan 32
Amelia 28
Louisa 28
Kate 27
Fanny 26
Clara 23
Frances 23
Lucy 21
Sophia 21
Catherine 20
Anne 18
Harriett 18
Esther 17
Amy 15
Isabella 15
Julia 15
Rose 15
Rebecca 14
Agnes 13
Minnie 13
Jessie 12
Ethel 11
Gertrude 11
Lydia 11
Ruth 11
Henrietta 10
Laura 10
Matilda 10
Rosa 10

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Whiting surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
William 354
John 258
George 232
Thomas 164
James 156
Henry 145
Charles 136
Joseph 88
Alfred 76
Frederick 75
Samuel 63
Richard 62
Robert 59
Arthur 58
Edward 55
Albert 54
Walter 52
Harry 33
Frank 30
Ernest 28
Herbert 28
David 24
Isaac 21
Francis 19
Fred 16
Wm. 16
Benjamin 14
Fredk. 14
Edwin 12
Daniel 11
Fredrick 11
Edmund 9
Edgar 8
Geo. 8
Joshua 8
Leonard 7
Matthew 7
Thos. 7
Giles 6
Jabez 6
Jesse 6
Percy 6
Peter 6
Saml. 6
Stephen 6
Frederic 5
Job 5
Josiah 5
Sidney 5
Tom 5

FAQ

Whiting surname: questions and answers

How common was the Whiting surname in 1881?

In 1881, 5,764 people were recorded with the Whiting surname. That placed it at #766 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Whiting surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 8,373 in 2016. That gives Whiting a modern rank of #786.

What does the Whiting surname mean?

A surname referring to a person with fair or white hair, complexion, or clothing.

What does the Whiting map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Whiting bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.