Whitman
Boy name · #3463 in 2025 · Uniqueness 73/100
Whitman is currently the #3463 boy name in the United States — 33 babies received it in 2025. A decade ago it stood at #3513, so the name has been rising over the past ten years. Roughly one in every 54,545 boys born in 2025 was named Whitman.
Babies named Whitman per year, 1880–2025. Source: SSA.
The 116-year story
Whitman first appears in the Social Security records in 1909, when 5 boys received the name. Its peak came in 2018, when 39 boys were named Whitman — good for #2994 that year. Today's parents encounter it on its way down the popularity curve, which for many parents is exactly the appeal. Following the curve matters more than today's snapshot: a name's position on its rise-peak-decline arc is the best predictor of how common it will feel in a kindergarten class five years from now.
Unlock the 5-year forecast and compare Whitman against up to 5 other names.
Uniqueness: will there be another Whitman in class?
Whitman scores 73 out of 100 on our uniqueness scale, which blends current rarity with five-year momentum — putting it in the "rare" band. A high score means genuine rarity — your Whitman will likely be the only one in the room, with the occasional spelling-out as the price.
Where Whitman is most common
State-level data for Whitman is sparse in 2025 — the name's footprint is too small for most states to report (the SSA suppresses counts under 5 per state for privacy).
Names like Whitman
Statistically, parents drawn to Whitman tend to be choosing among names with similar popularity arcs, era profiles, and sounds — the closest matches in our model are Nachman, Chapman, Salman, Kalman, and Othman.
NachmanChapmanSalmanKalmanOthmanUthmanLuqmanSulayman
Rank history (last 25 years)
| Year | Babies named Whitman | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 33 | #3450 |
| 2024 | 26 | #4072 |
| 2023 | 28 | #3883 |
| 2022 | 26 | #4089 |
| 2021 | 25 | #4118 |
| 2020 | 29 | #3653 |
| 2019 | 32 | #3496 |
| 2018 | 39 | #2994 |
| 2017 | 36 | #3193 |
| 2016 | 36 | #3161 |
| 2015 | 31 | #3513 |
| 2014 | 25 | #4014 |
| 2013 | 35 | #3122 |
| 2012 | 26 | #3894 |
| 2011 | 24 | #4110 |
| 2010 | 24 | #4099 |
| 2009 | 18 | #5102 |
| 2008 | 23 | #4267 |
| 2007 | 23 | #4243 |
| 2006 | 14 | #5781 |
| 2005 | 11 | #6634 |
| 2004 | 14 | #5492 |
| 2003 | 14 | #5271 |
| 2002 | 6 | #9392 |
| 2001 | 16 | #4676 |
Frequently asked questions
Is Whitman a popular boy name?
Whitman ranked #3463 among boys in 2025 with 33 babies given the name — outside the top 500, making it an uncommon pick. Ten years earlier it ranked #3513.
When was the name Whitman most popular?
Whitman peaked in 2018, when 39 American boys received the name (ranked #2994 that year). Since 2018 the name has declined from that high.
How rare is the name Whitman?
In 2025, roughly 1 in 54,545 newborn American boys was named Whitman. It scores 73/100 on our uniqueness scale (rarity blended with momentum), which we classify as "rare".
Data source: U.S. Social Security Administration name statistics, 1880–2025, national and state files. Counts reflect Social Security card applications; names with fewer than 5 occurrences in a state-year are suppressed by the SSA.