The Wheat surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 10,979 people carried this name — #3,290 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 26,900 people counted. That is up 1% from 10,855 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Wheat surname

English surname, probably from the noun wheat. Another sense meaning "bold, active, brave" is derived from Old English hwettan (“to encourage, embolden, sharpen”).

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Wheat» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

In the first U.S. census, 1790

29 Wheat families were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 196 people lived in those households, 6.8 to a family on average. The table lists white heads of families only, in the twelve states whose 1790 records survive; Virginia’s figures come from state lists of 1782–1785.

Families, by state

New York 6
New Hampshire 5
Connecticut 4
Maryland 4
Vermont 3
Massachusetts 3
South Carolina 2
Rhode Island 1
Pennsylvania 1

U.S. Census Bureau, «A Century of Population Growth from the First Census of the United States to the Twelfth, 1790–1900» (Washington, 1909), table 111, p. 268 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Wheat in American newspapers,
1890–1929.

Newspaper page from Evening Star carrying the name Wheat
Evening Star 1929-04-18
Newspaper page from Evening Star carrying the name Wheat
Evening Star 1890-09-30
Newspaper page from The Daily Critic carrying the name Wheat
The Daily Critic 1890-09-29

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 5,279 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Wheat in Australian newspapers,
1820s–1990s.

14,646 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Wheat. The most, 2,158, date from the 1920s. New South Wales has the most articles, but weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, the name stands out most in Western Australia, at 2.0 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 4,468
South Australia 2,931
Victoria 2,355
Western Australia 2,233
Queensland 1,772
Tasmania 748
ACT (Canberra) 72
Northern Territory 10

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Wheat.

Who carried it

People named Wheat,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Chatham Roberdeau Wheat
    Chatham Roberdeau Wheat 1826–1862 · military officer
  • Alfred Adams Wheat
    Alfred Adams Wheat 1867–1943 · judge
  • William H. Wheat
    William H. Wheat 1879–1944 · politician
  • Clayton Earl Wheat
    Clayton Earl Wheat 1881–1970 · teacher
  • Zack Wheat
    Zack Wheat 1888–1972 · baseball player
  • John Thomas Wheat 1801–1888 · teacher

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Wheat,
in the records of 5 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States742 records

742 records of the Wheat name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 430
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 148
  • New York State death index (outside NYC), 1957–2001 68
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 60
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 19
  • U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 11
  • U.S. service members who died in the Vietnam War 4
  • Irish Famine arrivals at New York, 1846–1851 1
  • U.S. service members who died in the Korean War 1
  1. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Gene Joseph Wheat

    Born 1938; from Pineville, Louisiana. U.S. Navy, hospital corpsman; killed in action 1968 in Quang Nam, South Vietnam. Buried at Alexandria National Cemetery, Louisiana.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Verle H. Wheat

    Born 1919 in Illinois. Enlisted 1942 at Fort Custer, Michigan; auto plant worker. U.S. Army Air Forces veteran of World War II; died 1997, buried at Lower Flat Bush Cemetery, Three Rivers, Michigan.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Grace K. Wheat

    Arrived at New York in 1885 aboard the Etruria from Liverpool and Queenstown, aged 40; matron. From London.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)

Showing 3 of 742 records for Wheat in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Australia111 records

111 records of the Wheat name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 46
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 25
  • Queensland State Archives indexes 22
  • Tasmanian Names Index 8
  • NSW convict, estate and railway indexes 4
  • State Library of Western Australia indexes 3
  • Canberra cemetery and marriage records 2
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 1
  1. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record Mary Wheat

    Transported to New South Wales aboard the Princess Royal, arriving 1829; ticket of leave 1831. Native of Hull.

    Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record John Wheat

    Arrived in Victoria in 1856 aboard the Marco Polo, aged 45; English.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Jack Frederick Wheat

    Advertising manager of Caulfield South, Victoria; died 1996.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 111 records for Wheat in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0) · ACT Government, Transport Canberra and City Services (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain).

Canada7 records

7 records of the Wheat name in Canada
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 2
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 2
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 1
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 1
  • City of Winnipeg cemetery records 1
  1. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Arthur Wheat

    Died 1954; buried at Brookside Cemetery, Winnipeg, Manitoba.

    City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg.
  2. A Canadian First World War grave register card for a soldier who died of wounds in 1917
    Example: Canadian war grave register, 1917
    War record Leonard Kinders Wheat

    Died in service in 1918.

    Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada.
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Birth record John Wheat

    Born 1868 in Acadia Coal Mines, Pictou, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.

Showing 3 of 7 records for Wheat in Canada.

Counts: Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Canadian First World War circumstances-of-death register (scan by Scottgraham87 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

United Kingdom5 records

5 records of the Wheat name in the United Kingdom
  • St James's burial ground, Euston (London), 1789–1853 3
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 2
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Henry Wheat

    Buried in 1828 at St James's burial ground, Euston, London, aged 21.

    MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  2. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record C. Wheat

    Corporal, King's Own (Royal Lancaster Regiment). Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Samuel Wheat

    Buried in 1829 at St James's burial ground, Euston, London, aged 73.

    MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Showing 3 of 5 records for Wheat in the United Kingdom.

Counts: MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

Netherlands1 record

1 record of the Wheat name in the Netherlands Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths)
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record William Louis Wheat

    Died 1962 in Deventer, aged 24.

    Open Archives, Collectie Overijssel locatie Zwolle (CC BY 4.0)

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Wheat.

When the index is not enough

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