Show ContentsWhitcomb History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Whitcomb family

The surname Whitcomb was first found in Shropshire where Berwick Mavesyn was settled in Morey. In ancient times, they moved to Wydecombe in Devon.

Early History of the Whitcomb family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Whitcomb research. Another 52 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Whitcomb History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Whitcomb Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Widdicombe, Witchcombe, Whitcombe, Wydecombe and others.

Early Notables of the Whitcomb family

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

Whitcomb Ranking

In the United States, the name Whitcomb is the 3,622nd most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. [1]


United States Whitcomb migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Whitcomb Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • John Whitcomb, who landed in Lancaster, Massachusetts in 1654 [2]
  • James Whitcomb, who arrived in Boston, Massachusetts in 1665 [2]
Whitcomb Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Jacob Whitcomb, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1791 [2]
Whitcomb Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • M Whitcomb, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1850 [2]

Australia Whitcomb migration to Australia +

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

Whitcomb Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. William Hawford Whitcomb, British Convict who was convicted in Southampton, Hampshire, England for life, transported aboard the "Coromandel" on 27th October 1819, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) [3]
  • George Whitcomb, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "David Malcolm" in 1848 [4]

New Zealand Whitcomb migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Whitcomb Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • William Whitcomb, aged 28, a painter, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Conflict" in 1874
  • Matilda Whitcomb, aged 24, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Conflict" in 1874
  • Emma J. Whitcomb, aged 6, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Conflict" in 1874
  • Elizabeth Whitcomb, aged 3, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Conflict" in 1874
  • William Whitcomb, aged 9 months, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Conflict" in 1874

Contemporary Notables of the name Whitcomb (post 1700) +

  • R. Steven Whitcomb, retired United States Army Lieutenant General, Inspector General in the Office of The Inspector General
  • George Dexter Whitcomb (1834-1914), American manufacturer, founder of the town of Glendora, California and the Whitcomb Locomotive Works
  • Cynthia Whitcomb, American Emmy Award nominated, Writers Guild of America winning television writer
  • Aber Whitcomb (b. 1977), American CTO of MindJolt, former CTO and a founder of MySpace
  • Lot Whitcomb (1807-1857), American entrepreneur who built the first steamship on the Willamette River in 1851
  • Jon Whitcomb (1906-1988), American illustrator
  • James Whitcomb (1795-1852), American politician, Democratic United States Senator, eighth Governor of Indiana (1843 to 1848)
  • Richard T. Whitcomb (1921-2009), American aeronautical engineer with significant contributions to the science of aerodynamics, recipient of the NASA Distinguished Service Medal (1956), Howard N. Potts Medal (1979), inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame (2003)
  • Christopher Whitcomb, American author and former member of the FBI's Hostage Rescue Team
  • Elisha Whitcomb, American politician, Member of New Hampshire State Senate, 1793-1800, 1801-02 (Cheshire County 1793-94, 10th District 1794-1800, 1801-02) [5]
  • ... (Another 27 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Grover Shoe factory
  • Miss Ella Whitcomb, American employee of the Grover Shoe factory in Brockton, Massachusetts on 20th March 1905 when the boiler exploded and collapsed the wooden building; she survived [6]
USS Arizona
  • Mr. Cecil Eugene Whitcomb, American Electrician's Mate Third Class from Michigan, USA working aboard the ship "USS Arizona" when she sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7th December 1941, he died in the sinking [7]


Suggested Readings for the name Whitcomb +

  • The John Whitcomb Family in Indiana, and Interrelated Branches, 1830-1978 by Margaret Whitcomb Baird.
  • Yankee Heritage, a Sisson Ancestry by Brian J.L. Berry.

  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. 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)
  3. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 12th March 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/coromandel
  4. State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) DAVID MALCOLM - EMIGRANT SHIP - 1848. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1848DavidMalcolm.htm
  5. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 19) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  6. California Digital Newspaper from 21st March 1905 (retrieved on 5th August 2021.) Retrieved from https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=SFC19050321.2.19&e=-------en--20--1--txt-txIN--------1
  7. Pearl Harbour: USS Arizona Casualties List Pearl Harbour December 7, 1941. (Retrieved 2018, July 31st). Retrieved from http://pearl-harbor.com/arizona/casualtylist.html


Houseofnames.com on Facebook