The Whitman surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 19,399 people carried this name — #1,851 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 15,200 people counted. That is down 2% from 19,827 in 2000.

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Where the name comes from

The origin of the Whitman surname

As an English and Welsh surname

An early record he cites: Agnes Wyteman, Oxfordshire, 1273 — Hundred Rolls.

His entry covers Whiteman and Whitman.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 808 · public domain.

In the first U.S. census, 1790

229 families named Whitman, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 1,305 people lived in those households, 5.7 to a family on average. The table counts it together with 8 other spellings. 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

Massachusetts 51
Pennsylvania 36
Rhode Island 34
New York 34
Connecticut 24
Vermont 12
Virginia 10
New Hampshire 9
South Carolina 8
Maine 5
North Carolina 4
Maryland 2

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

Whitman in American newspapers,
1914–1916.

Newspaper page from Hopkinsville Kentuckian carrying the name Whitman
Hopkinsville Kentuckian 1916-11-28
Newspaper page from The Chickasha Daily Express carrying the name Whitman
The Chickasha Daily Express 1916-09-21
Newspaper page from The Sun carrying the name Whitman
The Sun 1914-07-18

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 12,744 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Whitman in Australian newspapers,
1820s–1990s.

7,099 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Whitman. The most, 1,493, date from the 1910s. Weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, it stands out most in Queensland, at 2.9 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

Queensland 3,805
New South Wales 1,342
Victoria 820
South Australia 700
Western Australia 265
Tasmania 125
ACT (Canberra) 28
Northern Territory 4

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

Who carried it

People named Whitman,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Kathleen Leissner Whitman
    Kathleen Leissner Whitman d. 1966 · teacher
  • Ezekiel Whitman
    Ezekiel Whitman 1776–1866 · judge
  • Elizabeth Winslow Whitman Williams
    Elizabeth Winslow Whitman Williams 1795–1886
  • Marcus Whitman
    Marcus Whitman 1802–1847 · physician
  • David Gilbert Whitman d. 2020 · mathematician
  • John Whitman 1602–1691

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 Whitman,
in the records of 6 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 States2,004 records

2,004 records of the Whitman name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 733
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 585
  • Other U.S. records 686
  1. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Thomas Michael Whitman

    Born 1945; from New York, New York. U.S. Army, infantryman; killed in action 1967 in Binh Long, South Vietnam. Buried at Long Island National Cemetery, New York.

    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 Edward E. Whitman

    Born 1911 in New York. Enlisted 1940 at Brooklyn; hospital attendant from Kings County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1965, buried at Long Island National Cemetery, New York.

    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 Florence L. Whitman

    Arrived at New York in 1892 aboard the City of Rome from Glasgow and Moville, aged 26; tourist. From Glasgow; bound for New York.

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

Showing 3 of 2,004 records for Whitman in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · City of Asheville (public domain, PDDL) · 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).

Canada1,260 records

1,260 records of the Whitman name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 1,225
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 9
  • Other Canadian records 26
  1. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Arthur Garfield Whitman

    Buried in 1964 at Burnsland Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 71.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.
  2. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Helen Elizabeth Whitman

    Died 1972 in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  3. 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 William Charles Whitman

    Died in service in 1941.

    Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada.

Showing 3 of 1,260 records for Whitman in Canada.

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

Australia127 records

127 records of the Whitman name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 76
  • Queensland State Archives indexes 26
  • Other Australian records 25
  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 Hephzebah Whitman

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Emma Eugenia, sailing from London in 1850. Native of Suffolk.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Sarah Whitman

    Arrived in Victoria in 1886 aboard the Garonne, aged 50; 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 James L. Whitman

    Jeweller of Hawthorn, Victoria; died 1919.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 127 records for Whitman 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). 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).

United Kingdom14 records

14 records of the Whitman name in the United Kingdom
  • St James's burial ground, Euston (London), 1789–1853 9
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 5
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Elizabeth Whitman

    Buried in 1827 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.
  2. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record E. R. Whitman

    Gunner, Royal Garrison Artillery. 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 Ebenezer Whitman

    Buried in 1818 at St James's burial ground, Euston, London, aged 50.

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

Showing 3 of 14 records for Whitman 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).

New Zealand1 record

1 record of the Whitman name in New Zealand Christchurch City cemetery records
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Annie Whitman

    Died 1918, aged 76; buried at Sydenham Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

Netherlands1 record

1 record of the Whitman name in the Netherlands Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths)
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Alice Eleanor Whitman

    Married in 1938 in Amsterdam.

    Open Archives, Noord-Hollands Archief (CC BY 4.0)

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Whitman.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Whitman is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

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