Whitney

Did you know?

A few things about Whitney you might not know, from US birth records and Wikipedia. Handy for convincing a partner, or a grandparent.

⭐ Famous Whitney

Whitney Houston

American singer, actress, and film producer (1963–2012)

Choose Whitney and your child shares a first name with Whitney Houston, an American singer, actress, and film producer. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Whitney, like who?” Whitney Houston's Wikipedia article is available in 136 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.

Read about Whitney Houston on Wikipedia ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Photo: PH2 Mark Kettenhofen, Public domain (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons

• 👶How commonAbout 1 in every 6,752 baby girls born in the US in 2025 was named Whitney, 238 babies in all. In a typical school of 500 kids, your Whitney would very likely be the only one.
• 📜HistoryWhitney first shows up in US birth records in 1884, the first year at least 5 babies got it. It has been in use for 141 years since.
• 🏆Best yearIt was far more popular in 1987, when it ranked #32. Today it's #1,043, so it could be due a comeback.
• 📉Then vs nowWhitney was 4.4× more common in 2000 than it is today. In 2000 it was given to about 1 in 1,521 baby girls; in 2025, about 1 in 6,752.
• 🍂TrendWhitney has slipped 102 places over the last five years and now sits at #1,043. Good news if you want a familiar name that fewer kids will share.
• 📍Where it's lovedWhitney is most popular in Maine, where it ranks #209, followed by Massachusetts (#417) and Iowa (#492). It's in the top 1,000 in 14 states.
• 💬MeaningIn Old English, Whitney means “white island”.

About the name Whitney

Whitney is a girl name of Old English origin meaning “white island”. It has 7 letters and 2 syllables, starting with W and ending in “-ney”. US birth records list Whitney for girls from 1936 to 2025, in 89 of those 90 years. Its best year was 1987, when it ranked #32 among girl names. In 2025 it ranked #1,043, with 238 babies.

Origin:Old English names