Whitney

English

"white island"

Whitney Origin and Meaning

The name Whitney is a boy's name of English origin meaning "white island".

Deriving from an English locational surname meaning "white island", Whitney was in rare but regular use for boys in the US until the early 1960s, when actress Whitney Blake popularized it for girls. It received a further big boost on the girls' side in the 1980s, thanks to singer Whitney Houston. Now falling rapidly down the rankings, it could be time to reclaim this one for the boys, if only as a neat way to cool-guy nickname Whit.

Whitney Rank in US Top 1000

# 895 in the US

Whitney Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

# 1927 on Nameberry

Popularity of the name Whitney

• 1927 Nameberry 2025

20 Names Similar to Whitney

These 20 names were selected by our users that were looking for other names like Whitney.

• Lambert
• Marlin
• Gil
• Mel
• Chauncey
• Wilmer
• Cordell
• Schuyler
• Doyle
• Odell
• Barclay
• Konrad
• Kerouac
• Knute
• Hendrik
• Jens
• Lon
• Maksim
• Ralston
• Jannik

Famous People Named Whitney

• Whitney Moore Young Jr. American civil rights activist
• Whitney Mercilus American NFL football player
• Whitney Willard Straight American racing driver, aviator, and businessman
• Whitney Tilson American investor, author, and philanthropist
• Whitney Wesley "Whit" Haydn American magician
• Whitney Smith Jr. American vexillologist and scholar of flags
• John Whitney "Whit" Stillman American writer
• Eli Whitney American inventor

The name Whitney in Pop Culture

• Whitney Conway Ellsworth character on TV's "Deadwood"