NameCensus.

UK surname

Whitmore

A locational surname referring to someone who lived on a chalky or white moor or marsh.

In the 1881 census there were 2,628 people recorded with the Whitmore surname, ranking it #1,690 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 4,200, ranked #1,614, up from #1,690 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Leicester St Margaret and Bishop's Fee, Leicester All Saints, Blackfriars and Reigate. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Newcastle-under-Lyme, Leicester and Gloucester.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Whitmore is 4,352 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 59.8%.

1881 census count

2,628

Ranked #1,690

Modern count

4,200

2016, ranked #1,614

Peak year

2010

4,352 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Whitmore had 2,628 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #1,690 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 4,200 in 2016, ranked #1,614.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 3,762 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Whitmore surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Whitmore surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Whitmore 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 1,595 #1,803
1861 historical 1,444 #1,968
1881 historical 2,628 #1,690
1891 historical 2,778 #1,697
1901 historical 3,378 #1,649
1911 historical 3,762 #1,377
1997 modern 3,968 #1,634
1998 modern 4,230 #1,593
1999 modern 4,256 #1,591
2000 modern 4,238 #1,585
2001 modern 4,133 #1,591
2002 modern 4,212 #1,590
2003 modern 4,123 #1,586
2004 modern 4,137 #1,590
2005 modern 4,079 #1,594
2006 modern 4,119 #1,585
2007 modern 4,182 #1,576
2008 modern 4,220 #1,568
2009 modern 4,278 #1,589
2010 modern 4,352 #1,597
2011 modern 4,301 #1,595
2012 modern 4,167 #1,612
2013 modern 4,259 #1,609
2014 modern 4,288 #1,609
2015 modern 4,240 #1,609
2016 modern 4,200 #1,614

Geography

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Where Whitmores are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Leicester St Margaret and Bishop's Fee, Leicester All Saints, Blackfriars, Reigate and Birmingham Town: Birmingham. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Newcastle-under-Lyme, Leicester, Gloucester, South Holland and King's Lynn and West Norfolk. 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 London parishes London 3
2 Leicester St Margaret and Bishop's Fee, Leicester All Saints, Blackfriars Leicestershire
3 Reigate Surrey
4 London parishes London 2
5 Birmingham Town: Birmingham Warwickshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Newcastle-under-Lyme 005 Newcastle-under-Lyme
2 Leicester 039 Leicester
3 Gloucester 001 Gloucester
4 South Holland 008 South Holland
5 King's Lynn and West Norfolk 004 King's Lynn and West Norfolk

Forenames

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First names often paired with Whitmore

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Whitmore

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Whitmore, 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 Whitmore surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Whitmore 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

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

London Fringe

Within London, Whitmore is most associated with areas classed as London Fringe, part of Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs. 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

Predominantly located in neighbourhoods on the outskirts of Greater London, residents of these neighbourhoods typically have their highest qualifications below degree (Level 4) level, with those still in work engaged in skilled trades and occupations in distribution, hotels and restaurants. There is low ethnic diversity in these neighbourhoods and high levels of Christian religious affiliation. Detached or terraced houses predominate, often with spare rooms.

Wider London pattern

The age distribution of these neighbourhoods is skewed towards the middle-aged and old, although few residents live alone or in communal establishments and numbers of dependent children are around average. Owner occupation is the norm, as is residence in detached or semi-detached houses. Residential densities are low and many households have spare rooms. Most residents were born in the UK and, aside from some identifying as members of Chinese or Indian ethnicities, identify as White. Mixed ethnicity households are rare. Incidence of married couples is higher than average and few individuals have never been married. A large proportion of individuals still in employment work in administrative and secretarial occupations, or in the construction industry. Few residents are students, and many households own more than one car.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Whitmore is most concentrated in decile 5 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.

5
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Whitmore falls in decile 8 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the less deprived end of the index.

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

8
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Whitmore 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 Whitmore, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

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.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Whitmore families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Whitmore 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. Warwickshire leads with 277 Whitmores recorded in 1881 and an index of 4.28x.

County Total Index
Warwickshire 277 4.28x
Middlesex 272 1.06x
Leicestershire 265 9.32x
Surrey 233 1.87x
Staffordshire 220 2.54x
Lancashire 151 0.50x
Norfolk 137 3.48x
Kent 119 1.36x
Worcestershire 104 3.11x
Suffolk 103 3.30x
Gloucestershire 72 1.43x
Derbyshire 64 1.59x
Bedfordshire 63 4.75x
Cambridgeshire 60 3.70x
Cheshire 60 1.06x
Essex 59 1.17x
Northamptonshire 48 1.99x
Yorkshire 41 0.16x
Durham 38 0.50x
Sussex 29 0.67x
Nottinghamshire 26 0.75x
Shropshire 26 1.17x
Devon 20 0.37x
Cumberland 19 0.86x
Lincolnshire 19 0.46x
Hampshire 14 0.27x
Midlothian 11 0.32x
Hertfordshire 10 0.57x
Oxfordshire 10 0.63x
Northumberland 9 0.24x
Buckinghamshire 8 0.52x
Berkshire 7 0.36x
Somerset 7 0.17x
Dorset 6 0.36x
Cornwall 4 0.14x
Monmouthshire 4 0.22x
Brecknockshire 3 0.59x
Glamorgan 2 0.04x
Herefordshire 2 0.19x
Radnorshire 2 0.97x
Royal Navy 2 0.65x
Carmarthenshire 1 0.09x
Lanarkshire 1 0.01x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Leicester St Margaret in Leicestershire leads with 81 Whitmores recorded in 1881 and an index of 11.69x.

Place Total Index
Leicester St Margaret 81 11.69x
Aston 48 2.70x
Birmingham 47 2.18x
Reigate Foreign 47 34.75x
Stoke Upon Trent 45 4.90x
St Pancras London 42 2.04x
Islington London 40 1.61x
Dudley 37 9.09x
Lambeth 35 1.57x
Kensington London 33 2.32x
Audley 32 37.37x
Bolnhurst 30 1224.49x
Whitwick 29 80.24x
Ardwick 24 8.75x
Burslem 24 9.68x
Nottingham St Mary 23 2.57x
Shoreditch London 23 2.07x
Findern 22 619.72x
Leamington Priors 20 12.57x
Lower Mitton 20 67.80x
Manchester 20 1.46x
Battersea 18 1.91x
Camberwell 17 1.04x
Exhall 17 173.47x
Enderby 16 108.70x
Wolstanton 16 6.09x
Baddesley Ensor 15 181.16x
Bethnal Green London 15 1.35x
Brighton 15 1.72x
Foleshill 15 22.05x
Handsworth 15 7.03x
Kings Lynn St Margaret 15 12.68x
Lee 15 11.81x
Nuneaton 15 20.03x
Polesworth 15 48.86x
St Marylebone London 15 1.10x
West Ham 15 1.34x
Bilston 14 8.35x
Leicester St Mary 14 6.10x
Norwich St John Sepulchre 14 54.73x
Kings Norton 13 4.33x
Belgrave 12 18.71x
Earl Shilton 12 193.86x
Edgmond 12 49.22x
Fulbourn 12 77.27x
Hackney London 12 0.83x
Leicester St Nicholas 12 74.58x
St George Hanover 12 3.59x
Westoe 12 2.78x
Bedford St Paul 11 12.08x
Beoley 11 205.99x
Chorlton On Medlock 11 2.28x
Croydon 11 1.59x
Framingham Pigot 11 536.59x
Heaton Norris 11 6.35x
Monks Coppenhall 11 5.15x
Reigate Borough 11 38.18x
Southwark St George Martyr 11 2.13x
Wolstanton Knutton 11 20.82x
Dartford 10 11.18x
Everton 10 1.03x
Great Shelford 10 117.23x
Horley 10 47.76x
Ipswich St Margaret 10 9.44x
Plumstead 10 3.43x
St Andrewthe Less 10 5.39x
Willey 10 925.93x
Bickenhill 9 200.89x
Butley 9 274.39x
Derby St Werburgh 9 3.88x
Edgbaston 9 4.49x
Farnham 9 9.27x
Ipswich St Mathew 9 10.28x
Kirkby Mallory Earl 9 65.98x
Macclesfield 9 3.58x
Pemberton 9 7.42x
Sebergham 9 184.43x
Shepperton 9 79.58x
Tipton 9 3.40x
West Rudham 9 216.87x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 165
Elizabeth 111
Sarah 101
Ann 61
Alice 51
Ellen 51
Emma 51
Annie 43
Jane 43
Eliza 41
Emily 34
Hannah 31
Louisa 26
Martha 26
Harriet 25
Florence 23
Charlotte 19
Clara 18
Ada 16
Frances 16
Lucy 16
Maria 15
Edith 14
Rebecca 14
Kate 13
Fanny 12
Julia 12
Caroline 10
Esther 10
Rose 9
Amelia 8
Anne 8
Margaret 8
Laura 7
Matilda 7
Sophia 7
Agnes 6
Ethel 6
Rosa 6
Amy 5
Catherine 5
Elizth. 5
Harriett 5
Isabella 5
Jessie 5
Rachel 5
Susan 5
Susannah 5
Betsy 4
M. 4

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 171
John 123
George 94
Thomas 90
James 76
Henry 59
Charles 46
Joseph 45
Alfred 36
Samuel 33
Arthur 31
Robert 29
Edward 25
Albert 24
Frederick 21
Richard 21
Walter 19
Ernest 16
Frank 15
Herbert 13
Benjamin 8
Harry 8
David 7
Francis 7
Willm. 7
Thos. 6
Wm. 6
Mark 5
Fredk. 4
Fredrick 4
Geo. 4
Lewis 4
Amos 3
Cornelius 3
Daniel 3
Edmund 3
Edwin 3
Elijah 3
Fred 3
Job 3
Nathaniel 3
Sidney 3
Allen 2
Cecil 2
Jonathan 2
Joshua 2
Josiah 2
Levi 2
Percy 2
Saml. 2

FAQ

Whitmore surname: questions and answers

How common was the Whitmore surname in 1881?

In 1881, 2,628 people were recorded with the Whitmore surname. That placed it at #1,690 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Whitmore surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 4,200 in 2016. That gives Whitmore a modern rank of #1,614.

What does the Whitmore surname mean?

A locational surname referring to someone who lived on a chalky or white moor or marsh.

What does the Whitmore map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Whitmore 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.