Whitaker is an English surname from Old English hwit, white, and æcer, field, so it means "white field" or, in some places, "wheat field". Like Walker and Tucker it belongs to the wave of surnames that American parents have turned into first names. Whitaker was only at number 8177 in 2000 and has climbed steadily since, reaching number 2181 in 2025, its best rank so far, with 66 boys given the name.