Surname Rarity Checker / How rare is White
How Rare Is the Last Name White?
White is the 24th most common surname in the United States. About 660,491 Americans carry it, which works out to roughly 1 in 402 people, or 0.249% of the population. That is a common surname, though far from the top of the list. Here is the full picture from the Census surname file, plus a card you can save and share.
- Rarity
- 1 in 402
- Tier
- Common
- U.S. rank
- 24th
- Share of people
- 0.249%
- People named
- 660,491
- Source
- Census 2010
Based on the U.S. Census Bureau 2010 surname file, which counts 265,667,228 people across 162,253 surnames held by 100 or more people.
Where the surname White comes from
White began as a nickname for someone with fair hair or a pale complexion, from the Old English 'hwit'. In Ireland it also served as an anglicization of Gaelic names built on 'ban', meaning white.
Want to check a different last name? Try the surname rarity checker. Last names are only half the picture: the first-name rarity checker runs the same math on given names, and how common is my name combines the two.
Frequently asked questions
- How rare is the last name White?
- White is in the Common tier. About 1 in 402 Americans share it, which is 0.249% of the population, and it ranks 24th of all U.S. surnames. In total 660,491 people carried it in the 2010 Census.
- Is White a rare last name?
- No. White is a well-established surname rather than a rare one. It is in the Common tier, ranked 24th of all U.S. surnames, with about 1 in 402 Americans sharing it.
- How common is the surname White?
- About 1 in 402 Americans carry the surname White, which is 0.249% of the population and 24th of all U.S. surnames. That places it in the Common tier.
- How many people have the last name White?
- 660,491 people in the United States, according to the Census Bureau's 2010 surname file, which counted 265,667,228 people across 162,253 surnames.
- Where does the surname White come from?
- White began as a nickname for someone with fair hair or a pale complexion, from the Old English 'hwit'. In Ireland it also served as an anglicization of Gaelic names built on 'ban', meaning white.