The Whitney surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 35,118 people carried this name — #994 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 8,400 people counted. That is up 3% from 34,251 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Whitney surname

A habitational surname from Middle English.

From Old English hwītan, dative of hwīt (“white”) + īeġ (“island”), "white island".

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

As an English and Welsh surname

An early record he cites: John de Witteneye, Suffolk, 1273 — Hundred Rolls.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 809 · public domain.

In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890

Ireland registered 5 births for the Whitney name in 1890.

Most were registered in Leinster. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 200 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they were born, 1890

Leinster 5

Registrar-General for Ireland, «Special Report on Surnames in Ireland» (R. E. Matheson, 1894), births index of 1890 — public domain.

In Argentina’s national register

At least 50 people named Whitney live in Argentina.

RENAPER only publishes a name in a province when more than ten people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Córdoba.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Córdoba 22
City of Buenos Aires 14
Buenos Aires Province 14

RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.

Among the farmers of England and Wales, 1880s

Whitney was found among the farmers of Northamptonshire: 15 in every 10,000.

Guppy counted the farmers listed in each county’s directory and recorded a name only where it reached about 7 in every 10,000; where it does not appear, it was rarer than that, not absent.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Per 10,000 farmers, by county

Northamptonshire 15

H. B. Guppy, «Homes of Family Names in Great Britain» (London, 1890), alphabetical list of English and Welsh names — public domain · farmers in Kelly’s Post Office Directories of the 1880s, per 10,000 farmers in each county.

In the first U.S. census, 1790

382 families named Whitney, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 2,207 people lived in those households, 5.8 to a family on average. The table counts it together with 2 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 156
Maine 49
Vermont 44
Connecticut 44
New York 44
New Hampshire 35
North Carolina 4
South Carolina 4
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

Whitney in American newspapers,
1895–1904.

Newspaper page from Reporter And Farmer carrying the name Whitney
Reporter And Farmer 1895-08-08
Newspaper page from The Madison Daily Leader carrying the name Whitney
The Madison Daily Leader 1895-08-16
Newspaper page from The Stark County Democrat carrying the name Whitney
The Stark County Democrat 1904-02-05

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 49,833 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Whitney in Australian newspapers,
1830s–1990s.

30,389 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Whitney. The most, 6,730, date from the 1930s.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 10,996
Victoria 6,908
Queensland 6,160
Western Australia 2,191
Tasmania 2,062
South Australia 1,772
ACT (Canberra) 135
Northern Territory 11

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

Who carried it

People named Whitney,
with a public archive behind them.

  • George A. Whitney d. 1914 · politician
  • Robert Whitney d. 1402 · politician
  • Robert Whitney d. 1443 · politician
  • Martha Whitney d. 1926
  • Jane Hungerford Beamish d. 1916
  • Charlotte Sophia Beamish d. 1919

Wikidata (CC0) · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Whitney,
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 States4,070 records

4,070 records of the Whitney name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 1,170
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 1,136
  • Other U.S. records 1,764
  1. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Dick Edward Whitney

    Born 1946; from Newberg, Oregon. U.S. Army, infantryman; killed in action 1969 in Dinh Tuong, South Vietnam. Buried at Willamette National Cemetery, Oregon.

    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 Richard E. Whitney

    Born 1915 in Arkansas. Enlisted 1942 at Los Angeles, California; upholsterer. U.S. Air Force veteran of World War II; died 1957, buried at Golden Gate National Cemetery, California.

    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 Irene C. Whitney

    Arrived at New York in 1892 aboard the City of Rome from Moville, aged 24; dressmaker. From Derry; bound for Chicago.

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

Showing 3 of 4,070 records for Whitney 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, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (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).

Australia718 records

718 records of the Whitney name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 276
  • Tasmanian Names Index 262
  • Other Australian records 180
  1. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Thomas Whitney

    Died 1873 in Hobart, Tasmania, aged 68. Will registered in Tasmania in 1873.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Alfred James Whitney

    Married 1882 in Hobart, Tasmania, aged 19. Died 1924 in Tasmania, aged 61.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  3. 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 James Whitney

    Transported to New South Wales aboard the Tottenham, arriving 1818.

    Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY)

Showing 3 of 718 records for Whitney in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain); Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain).

Canada225 records

225 records of the Whitney name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 126
  • City of Calgary cemetery records 41
  • Other Canadian records 58
  1. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Manson Whitney

    Buried in 1980 at Queen's Park Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 94.

    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 Percy A. Whitney

    Died 1948 in Glace Bay, Cape Breton, 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 Bertram Macdougall Whitney

    Died in service in 1916.

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

Showing 3 of 225 records for Whitney in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax. · City of Niagara Falls. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Niagara Falls. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · Contains information provided by the City of Waterloo under licence. 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).

United Kingdom14 records

14 records of the Whitney name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 10
  • St James's burial ground, Euston (London), 1789–1853 4
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record James Whitney

    Buried in 1815 at St James's burial ground, Euston, London, aged 32.

    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 T. Whitney

    Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1919.

    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 Sarah Whitney

    Buried in 1799 at St James's burial ground, Euston, London, aged 33.

    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 Whitney in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. 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).

France1 record

1 record of the Whitney name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Martin Manton Whitney

    Born 1914 in Great Britain; died 2000 in Mainsat (Creuse).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Netherlands1 record

1 record of the Whitney 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 Alice Martha Whitney

    Died 1949 in Breda.

    Open Archives, Brabants Historisch Informatie Centrum (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 Whitney.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Whitney 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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