Whistler Surname

168,840th
Most Common
surname in the World

Approximately 2,558 people bear this surname

Most prevalent in:
United States
Highest density in:
Falkland Islands

Whistler Surname Definition:

This surname is derived from a nickname. 'the whistler,' one who was constantly whistling. The sobriquet would readily fasten itself upon the bearer, and as it denoted a cheery spirit would not be unacceptable to the nominee.

Thomas le Whistlar, Somerset, 9 Edward II: Kirby's Quest.

Read More About This Surname

Whistler Surname Distribution Map

PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
United States1,6931:214,09320,884
England4021:138,60213,521
Australia2891:93,41110,672
Canada671:549,93446,038
New Zealand401:113,20814,508
South Africa151:3,611,847123,156
Ireland141:336,35312,021
British Virgin Islands51:6,319600
Wales41:773,63329,106
France31:22,140,907385,998
Germany21:40,252,730481,636
Netherlands21:8,443,588136,641
United Arab Emirates21:4,581,13693,443
Norway21:2,571,14395,402
Philippines21:50,619,112341,003
Portugal11:10,418,24125,048
Bulgaria11:6,978,90586,260
Bangladesh11:159,356,77326,077
Brazil11:214,074,3321,693,628
Thailand11:70,638,3451,175,915
Taiwan11:23,444,74693,622
Sweden11:9,846,757347,448
Spain11:46,752,036156,870
China11:1,367,321,56651,149
Scotland11:5,353,81763,002
Nigeria11:177,142,758748,972
Nicaragua11:6,021,0908,768
Egypt11:91,935,754132,737
Japan11:127,844,29373,547
Hungary11:9,816,27773,288
Falkland Islands11:3,132317
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
Ireland61:738,31121,113
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
England3141:77,6298,424
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
United States5551:90,4849,326

Whistler (143) may also be a first name.

Whistler Surname Meaning

From Where Does The Surname Originate? meaning and history

This surname is derived from a nickname. 'the whistler,' one who was constantly whistling. The sobriquet would readily fasten itself upon the bearer, and as it denoted a cheery spirit would not be unacceptable to the nominee.

Thomas le Whistlar, Somerset, 9 Edward II: Kirby's Quest.

Johannes Whisteler, 1379: Poll Tax of Yorkshire.

1607-8. Hugh Whistler (Oxfordshire), Trinity Coll.: Register of the University of Oxford.

1626-7. Philip Hinslow and Eleanor Whistler: Marriage Lic. (London).

1678. Baptised — Ann, d. Thomas Whistler: St. Mary Aldermary.

1800. Married — Webster Whistler (Sussex) and Jane Mackay: St. George, Hanover Square.

A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames (1896) by Charles Wareing Endell Bardsley

(English) Whistler, Piper [Old English hwistlere] Johannes Whisteler.—Yorks Poll-Tax, A.D. 1379.

Surnames of the United Kingdom (1912) by Henry Harrison

(English) One who whistled or blew a pipe.

Dictionary of American Family Names (1956) by Elsdon Coles Smith

A man much addicted to whistling would readily acquire this name.

Patronymica Britannica (1860) by Mark Antony Lower

From the Flemish, Vestliði (?); in the Domesday Book, Wislaw, Wislac; from the German, Wissell; from the Dutch, Wissel, Wisselaar; a personal name.

British Family Names: Their Origin and Meaning (1903) by Henry Barber

Whistler Last Name Facts

Where Does The Last Name Whistler Come From? nationality or country of origin

The surname Whistler is most common in The United States. It can occur in the variant forms:. Click here to see other possible spellings of this surname.

How Common Is The Last Name Whistler? popularity and diffusion

The last name Whistler is the 168,840th most widely held surname on a global scale It is held by around 1 in 2,848,923 people. This last name is primarily found in The Americas, where 44 percent of Whistler reside; 44 percent reside in North America and 44 percent reside in Anglo-North America. Whistler is also the 772,378th most commonly occurring first name internationally. It is borne by 143 people.

The last name Whistler is most frequently used in The United States, where it is borne by 1,693 people, or 1 in 214,093. In The United States it is mostly found in: Texas, where 15 percent reside, Missouri, where 5 percent reside and New York, where 4 percent reside. Besides The United States this last name occurs in 30 countries. It also occurs in England, where 16 percent reside and Australia, where 11 percent reside.

Whistler Family Population Trend historical fluctuation

The occurrence of Whistler has changed over time. In The United States the number of people who held the Whistler last name increased 305 percent between 1880 and 2014; in England it increased 128 percent between 1881 and 2014 and in Ireland it increased 233 percent between 1901 and 2014.

Whistler Last Name Statistics demography

The religious adherence of those holding the last name is chiefly Catholic (83%) in Ireland.

In The United States those holding the Whistler last name are 16.76% more likely to be registered with the Republican Party than The US average, with 63.53% registered to vote for the political party.

The amount Whistler earn in different countries varies greatly. In South Africa they earn 87.45% less than the national average, earning R 29,820 per year; in United States they earn 6.55% more than the national average, earning $45,977 USD per year and in Canada they earn 11.89% less than the national average, earning $43,776 CAD per year.

Phonetically Similar Names

SurnameSimilarityWorldwide IncidencePrevalency
Whisthler941/
Wistler9317/
Wiestler88114/
Waistler882/
Whystler881/
Whestler880/
Westler80170/
Vistler803/
Uistler803/
Bistler801/
Wächtler751,649/
Wechtler75121/
Weastler7557/
Wichtler7552/
Wüchtler751/
Wuestler751/
Viestler751/
Boistler750/
Bestler67499/
Vestler671/
Besstler631/
Vechtler631/
Beztler531/

Search for Another Surname

The name statistics are still in development, sign up for information on more maps and data

By signing up to the mailing list you will only receive emails specifically about name reference on Forebears and your information will not be distributed to 3rd parties.

Footnotes

  • Surnames are taken as the first part of an person's inherited family name, caste, clan name or in some cases patronymic
  • Descriptions may contain details on the name's etymology, origin, ethnicity and history. They are largely reproduced from 3rd party sources; diligence is advised on accepting their validity - more information
  • Name distribution statistics are generated from a global database of over 4 billion people - more information
  • Heatmap: Dark red means there is a higher occurrence of the name, transitioning to light yellow signifies a progressively lower occurrence. Clicking on selected countries will show mapping at a regional level
  • Rank: Name are ranked by incidence using the ordinal ranking method; the name that occurs the most is assigned a rank of 1; name that occur less frequently receive an incremented rank; if two or more name occur the same number of times they are assigned the same rank and successive rank is incremented by the total preceeding names
  • Ethnic group cannot necessarily be determined by geographic occurrence
  • Similar: Names listed in the "Similar" section are phonetically similar and may not have any relation to Whistler
  • To find out more about this surname's family history, lookup records on Family​Search, My​Heritage, FindMyPast and Ancestry. Further information may be obtained by DNA analysis