Whitney
English place name meaning “white island”; Whitney Houston made it a 1980s sensation.
Popularity, 1880–2025
Whitney first shows up in the national records in 1884. It has ranked among the top 100 names for American girls in every year from 1985 to 1994. Its biggest year was 1986, when 9,536 newborn girls received the name, ranking it No. 32 nationally. The name has also seen real use for boys: 5,994 of the 103,657 Americans given the name since 1880.
Related names
Other spellings on record: Whittney (1,638), Whitnee (607) (total births since 1880)
Explore Whitney interactively →By the decade
| Decade | Births | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1930s | 30 | No. 2340 |
| 1940s | 95 | No. 2737 |
| 1950s | 122 | No. 2327 |
| 1960s | 2,147 | No. 543 |
| 1970s | 5,003 | No. 254 |
| 1980s | 44,373 | No. 32 |
| 1990s | 32,886 | No. 60 |
| 2000s | 7,182 | No. 271 |
| 2010s | 4,323 | No. 518 |
| 2020s | 1,502 | No. 941 |
Births and rank shown for girls, the sex more often given the name. The Social Security Administration omits name–year combinations with fewer than five births.
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Data: U.S. Social Security Administration national baby-name file, 1880–2025.