Whitaker
Boy name · #2171 in 2025 · Uniqueness 62/100
In 2025, 66 baby boys were named Whitaker, placing it at #2171 in the official national rankings. A decade ago it stood at #3085, so the name has been rising over the past ten years. Roughly one in every 27,273 boys born in 2025 was named Whitaker.
The 76-year story
Whitaker first appears in the Social Security records in 1949, when 5 boys received the name. Its all-time peak is essentially right now: 2025, with 66 babies and a rank of #2167. Names at their peak can keep climbing — or be one trend cycle from the long slide that eventually hits most popular names. 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.
Babies named Whitaker per year, 1880–2025. Source: SSA.
Unlock the 5-year forecast and compare Whitaker against up to 5 other names.
Uniqueness: will there be another Whitaker in class?
Whitaker scores 62 out of 100 on our uniqueness scale, which blends current rarity with five-year momentum — putting it in the "distinctive" band. That middle band is the sweet spot many parents hunt for: recognizable without being everywhere.
Where Whitaker is most common
State-level data for Whitaker 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 Whitaker
Statistically, parents drawn to Whitaker tend to be choosing among names with similar popularity arcs, era profiles, and sounds — the closest matches in our model are Whittaker, Winter, Decker, Wrangler, and Wheeler.
WhittakerWinterDeckerWranglerWheelerStrykerRikerBanner
Rank history (last 25 years)
| Year | Babies named Whitaker | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 66 | #2167 |
| 2024 | 65 | #2210 |
| 2023 | 50 | #2614 |
| 2022 | 49 | #2675 |
| 2021 | 64 | #2193 |
| 2020 | 49 | #2586 |
| 2019 | 53 | #2491 |
| 2018 | 45 | #2708 |
| 2017 | 57 | #2295 |
| 2016 | 47 | #2626 |
| 2015 | 37 | #3085 |
| 2014 | 34 | #3234 |
| 2013 | 23 | #4180 |
| 2012 | 18 | #5035 |
| 2011 | 18 | #4983 |
| 2010 | 17 | #5251 |
| 2009 | 33 | #3332 |
| 2008 | 18 | #5067 |
| 2007 | 17 | #5210 |
| 2006 | 7 | #9585 |
| 2005 | 9 | #7640 |
| 2004 | 8 | #8143 |
| 2003 | 8 | #7831 |
| 2002 | 9 | #7055 |
| 2000 | 8 | #7416 |
Frequently asked questions
Is Whitaker a popular boy name?
Whitaker ranked #2171 among boys in 2025 with 66 babies given the name — outside the top 500, making it an uncommon pick. Ten years earlier it ranked #3085.
When was the name Whitaker most popular?
Whitaker peaked in 2025, when 66 American boys received the name (ranked #2167 that year). That peak is current — the name is at or near its all-time high right now.
How rare is the name Whitaker?
In 2025, roughly 1 in 27,273 newborn American boys was named Whitaker. It scores 62/100 on our uniqueness scale (rarity blended with momentum), which we classify as "distinctive".
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.