Fun Facts About the Name Whitman
- 901 babies named Whitman: U.S. records list 901 babies given the name Whitman from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Whitman Mean?
Whitman is an English surname used as a given name. It means "white man" and comes from Old English hwīt ("white") and mann ("man, person"). The compound probably began as a descriptive byname for someone with white or pale hair or complexion, though mann in Old English often meant simply "person" rather than specifically a male. Some reference works derive the surname from an Old English personal name formed from the same elements, Hwītmann; if so, the surname is patronymic and means "descendant of Hwītmann." The literal sense "white man" is the etymological meaning; the hereditary family name is a later development. The name is not related to wit ("intelligence").
Whitman Name History & Origins
Whitman began as an English surname. Its two Old English elements, hwīt and mann, formed a byname or personal name in the medieval period, and by the Middle English period the name was in use as a surname. Middle English spellings such as Whiteman and Whytman reflect the changing pronunciation and spelling of English after the Norman Conquest. Like many English surnames, it became hereditary in the later Middle Ages, passing from one generation to the next instead of changing with each person. The name is found in England, and English-speaking settlers carried it to North America. As a first name, Whitman is a transferred use of the surname, a pattern that became more common in English-speaking countries in the 18th and 19th centuries. The most famous bearer of the surname is the American poet Walt Whitman (1819 - 1892), author of Leaves of Grass. His fame made the surname widely recognizable, but the given name Whitman is a separate development from the surname rather than a creation of the poet.
How Popular is the Name Whitman?
Whitman has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 2018. Its best rank was #1,674 in 1909.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #3,508 | 33 | 0.0019% |
| 2024 | #4,174 | 26 | 0.0015% |
| 2023 | #3,991 | 28 | 0.0016% |
| 2022 | #4,179 | 26 | 0.0015% |
| 2021 | #4,230 | 25 | 0.0014% |
| 2020 | #3,726 | 29 | 0.0017% |
| 2019 | #3,561 | 32 | 0.0018% |
| 2018 | #3,048 | 39 | 0.0021% |
| 2017 | #3,246 | 36 | 0.0019% |
| 2016 | #3,225 | 36 | 0.0019% |
| 2015 | #3,585 | 31 | 0.0016% |
| 2014 | #4,127 | 25 | 0.0013% |
| 2013 | #3,184 | 35 | 0.0019% |
| 2012 | #3,999 | 26 | 0.0014% |
| 2011 | #4,213 | 24 | 0.0013% |
| 2010 | #4,231 | 24 | 0.0013% |
| 2009 | #5,313 | 18 | 0.0009% |
| 2008 | #4,385 | 23 | 0.0011% |
| 2007 | #4,364 | 23 | 0.0011% |
| 2006 | #6,077 | 14 | 0.0007% |
| 2005 | #7,076 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2004 | #5,797 | 14 | 0.0007% |
| 2003 | #5,543 | 14 | 0.0007% |
| 2002 | #10,615 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2001 | #4,883 | 16 | 0.0008% |
| 2000 | #4,777 | 16 | 0.0008% |
| 1999 | #6,514 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1998 | #7,527 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1997 | #8,077 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1996 | #7,943 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1994 | #10,191 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1993 | #7,613 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1992 | #7,386 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1991 | #9,603 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 1990 | #5,359 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1989 | #9,187 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 1987 | #4,948 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1983 | #6,210 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1981 | #5,456 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1980 | #6,221 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1970 | #4,715 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1969 | #3,588 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1966 | #4,526 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1965 | #4,420 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1954 | #3,815 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1953 | #3,784 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1950 | #3,316 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1949 | #4,191 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1947 | #4,253 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1942 | #4,031 | 5 | 0.0004% |
| 1940 | #3,123 | 7 | 0.0006% |
| 1939 | #2,823 | 8 | 0.0007% |
| 1936 | #4,030 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| 1931 | #3,749 | 6 | 0.0006% |
| 1929 | #3,549 | 7 | 0.0007% |
| 1928 | #4,136 | 6 | 0.0005% |
| 1924 | #3,858 | 7 | 0.0006% |
| 1922 | #4,297 | 6 | 0.0006% |
| 1920 | #2,957 | 10 | 0.0009% |
| 1919 | #3,385 | 8 | 0.0008% |
| 1918 | #2,871 | 10 | 0.0010% |
| 1917 | #3,965 | 6 | 0.0006% |
| 1916 | #3,500 | 7 | 0.0008% |
| 1915 | #3,819 | 6 | 0.0007% |
| 1914 | #2,264 | 10 | 0.0015% |
| 1909 | #1,674 | 5 | 0.0030% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Whitman Shapes Your Personality and Life?
To express itself, you must follow the divine law of love. You have great persistence and hate to give up. You are a good mixer, charming, magnetic and intuitive. The spirituality is the key to success. You are intuitive and might be interested in the arts, drama or science.
You are very intuitive. You have a reservoir of inspired wisdom combined with inherited analytical ability, which could reward you through expressions of spiritual leadership, business analysis, marketing, artistic visions, and scientific research. Operating on spiritual side of your individuality can bring you to the great heights, and drop you off if you neglect your spiritual identity. You are always looking for an opportunity to investigate the unknown, to use and show your mental abilities, to find the purpose and meaning of life. You want to grow wise and to understand people and things. You need privacy to replenish your energy. You have a unique way of thinking, intuitive, reflective, absorbing.
✦ Whitman's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Whitman's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.