Whidden History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The surname Whidden is most likely a derivative of the Old English word 'hwita', meaning "white," but may be rooted in the Welsh or Cornish language.

Early Origins of the Whidden family

The surname Whidden was first found in Chagford, Devon, when the name was recorded in the Mabinogion (a collection of ancient Welsh bardic tales, particularly the collection of 12th-century knightly romances translated by Lady Charlotte Guest, also known as 'The Red Book of Hergest').

Early History of the Whidden family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Whidden research. Another 202 words (14 lines of text) covering the years 1296, 1553, 1555, 1558, 1575 and 1797 are included under the topic Early Whidden History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Whidden Spelling Variations

Cornish surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. The frequent changes in surnames are due to the fact that the Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules. The official court languages, which were Latin and French, were also influential on the spelling of a surname. Since the spelling of surnames was rarely consistent in medieval times, and scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded rather than adhering to any specific spelling rules, it was common to find the same individual referred to with different spellings of their surname in the ancient chronicles. Moreover, a large number of foreign names were brought into England, which accelerated and accentuated the alterations to the spelling of various surnames. Lastly, spelling variations often resulted from the linguistic differences between the people of Cornwall and the rest of England. The Cornish spoke a unique Brythonic Celtic language which was first recorded in written documents during the 10th century. However, they became increasingly Anglicized, and Cornish became extinct as a spoken language in 1777, although it has been revived by Cornish patriots in the modern era. The name has been spelled Whidden, Whiddon, Whydon, Whydn and others.

Early Notables of the Whidden family

More information is included under the topic Early Whidden Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Whidden Ranking

In the United States, the name Whidden is the 10,690^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1

Whidden migration to the United States +

An investigation of the immigration and passenger lists has revealed a number of people bearing the name Whidden:

Whidden Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

G Whidden, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1851 2
William M. Whidden, aged 36, who settled in America, in 1893

Whidden Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Stephen Whidden, aged 44, who immigrated to the United States, in 1908
F. B. Whidden, who landed in America, in 1909
Austen C. Whidden, aged 10, who settled in America, in 1910
Harry F. Whidden, aged 40, who immigrated to Peabody, Massachusetts, in 1913
Robert G. Whidden, aged 25, who landed in America, in 1914
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Whidden migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Whidden Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. William Whidden, (b. 1817), aged 45, Cornish gardener departing from Soton on 17th March 1862 aboard the ship "Boanerges" arriving in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia on 9th July 1862 3

Contemporary Notables of the name Whidden (post 1700) +

Renton Whidden, American Republican politician, Member of Massachusetts State House of Representatives Second Norfolk District, 1923-24 4
James I. Whidden, American politician, Independent Candidate for U.S. Senator from Oklahoma, 1932 4
Edgar Whidden, American politician, U.S. Consul in SAINT Stephen, 1897 4
C. R. Whidden, American Republican politician, Mayor of Calais, Maine, 1864-65 4
Benjamin F. Whidden, American Republican politician, U.S. Diplomatic Commissioner to Haiti, 1862-65; Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from New Hampshire, 1868 4
Thomas A. "Tom" Whidden, American sailor and sailmaker, President and CEO of North Marine Group
Lee P. Whidden, American lawyer and partner at Denton's, New York
Christopher Whidden, American Postdoctoral Researcher at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Washington
William Marcy Whidden (1857-1929), American founding member of Whidden & Lewis, a prominent architectural firm
Woodrow Wilson Whidden II (b. 1944), American Seventh-day Adventist author, theologian, and professor of systematic and historical theology
... (Another 7 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 3rd May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_australia_victoria.pdf
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, April 22) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html