Whippy History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The Whippy history begins in Cornwall, a rugged coastal region in southwestern England. Quite distinct from Devon, the adjoining county, Cornwall had its own spoken language until the late 18th century. The Whippy history began here. The manner in which hereditary surnames arose is interesting. Local surnames were derived from where the original bearer lived, was born, or held land. Unlike most Celtic peoples, who favored patronymic names, the Cornish predominantly used local surnames. The Whippy family originally lived in Devon at the parish of Whimple.

Early Origins of the Whippy family

The surname Whippy was first found in East Devon at Whimple, a village and civil parish which dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086 where it was listed as Winple 1 and gets its name from a stream that originally ran through the area as in the Celtic name meaning "white pool or stream." 2 The Whimple Wassail is an orchard-visiting wassail ceremony which takes place annually every Old Twelfth Night (January 17th.)

Early History of the Whippy family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Whippy research. Another 60 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1617, 1642, 1662, 1685, 1687, 1743, 1745, 1746 and 1750 are included under the topic Early Whippy History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Whippy 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 Whimple, Whirple, Whipple, Wipley, Whippy and many more.

Early Notables of the Whippy family

Notable amongst the family at this time was John Whipple (c. 1617-1685), an early settler of Dorchester in the Massachusetts Bay Colony; and his son, Joseph Whipple (1662-1746), American wealthy merchant in the Colony of Rhode Island...
Another 37 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Whippy Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Whippy migration to Canada +

In the immigration and passenger lists were a number of people bearing the name Whippy

Whippy Settlers in Canada in the 20th Century

John Whippy, aged 24, who immigrated to Torbay, Newfoundland, in 1909

Contemporary Notables of the name Whippy (post 1700) +

David Whippy (1802-1871), (or Whippey) American sailor and beachcomber from Nantucket who settled in Fiji where he became vice-consul of the United States to Fiji, from 1846-1856
Marques Reid Whippy (b. 1986), Fijian former professional basketball player who played college basketball for Brigham Young University in Hawaii before playing professionally in Spain, Australia, Chile and New Zealand
Joshua Whippy (b. 1990), New Zealand rugby union player who plays for the Utah Warriors of Major League Rugby (MLR) and the United States men's national team
Nicole Whippy (b. 1977), New Zealand Monte-Carlo TV Festival Award nominated actress, known for Outrageous Fortune (2005), Vertical Limit (2000) and Nothing Trivial (2011)
Mikaelar Whippy (b. 1986), Fiji basketball player who played for the Fiji women's national basketball team at the FIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournament for Women 2008

Citations +

Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)