At the time of the 1851 Census the surname (and its variants) was most commonly found in Lancashire (211), Cheshire (100) and in Devon (36). During the period from 1841 to 1851, the number of carriers of the surname decreased in Cornwall.
Distribution across England, according to the 1851 Census:
| 1851 Census | Whitter | Witter | Other* | Overall | Percentage | |
| England | 191 | 211 | 64 | 466 | 100,00 | |
| Lancashire | 71 | 115 | 25 | 211 | 45,27 | |
| Cheshire | 19 | 73 | 0 | 100 | 21,46 | |
| Cornwall | 5 | 0 | 31 | 36 | 7,73 | |
| Devon | 26 | 10 | 0 | 36 | 7,73 | |
| Dorset | 10 | 0 | 6 | 16 | 3,43 | |
| Middlesex | 27 | 7 | 1 | 35 | 7,51 | |
| Yorkshire | 6 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 1,50 |
* for example Whitta, Whitters, Wither, etc.
