Whitney is a feminine given name of English origin. It was created by American writer F. Scott Fitzgerald for his 1920 novel "The Beautiful and Damned," in which Whitney Strether is the protagonist. The author chose this name because it sounded pleasant and distinctive, without any specific meaning or derivation from an existing name.
Prior to its appearance in Fitzgerald's novel, there are no known records of the name Whitney being used as a given name for females. However, after "The Beautiful and Damned" was published, Whitney began to appear with some frequency as a girl's name in the United States. Its popularity has fluctuated over time, but it remains relatively uncommon.
In terms of its meaning, since Whitney is not derived from any existing word or language, it does not have an inherent meaning. Some people have interpreted the name Whitney to mean "white island" or "whiteness," perhaps due to its similarity to words like white and island. However, these interpretations are not supported by any historical or etymological evidence.
In popular culture, Whitney Houston (1963-2012) was an American singer-songwriter who became one of the best-selling artists of all time. While she did not directly influence the name's popularity, her fame may have contributed to its familiarity in recent decades.
The name Whitney has been a popular choice for parents in the United States over the past century and a half, with its popularity fluctuating over time. The earliest records available show that there were nine babies named Whitney born in the U.S. in 1884.
In the early 20th century, the number of births with the name Whitney varied widely from year to year, ranging from five to fifteen between 1903 and 1919. However, starting in 1920, there was a significant increase in popularity, with more than forty babies named Whitney born each year for over a decade.
The name reached its peak popularity in the United States during the mid-1980s, with a total of 236 births recorded in 1985. This high level of popularity continued throughout the late 1980s and early 1990s, with over one hundred births per year until 1994.
Since then, the popularity of the name Whitney has decreased significantly, with fewer than fifty babies named Whitney born each year between 2005 and 2023. However, it is worth noting that even in recent years, there are still several babies named Whitney born annually in the U.S., indicating that the name continues to be a timeless choice for some parents.
Overall, the statistics show that the name Whitney has been a popular choice for parents in the United States for over a century. While its popularity has fluctuated over time, it remains a recognizable and enduring name with a rich history of use.