Whites History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England-Alt
England
Ireland
Scotland

The bearers of Whites and its variants are generally thought to have come from the noble family of Le Blancs in Normandy, who traveled to England in the wake of the Norman Conquest. Although the name certainly came to Britain from Normandy, there is some speculation that it already existed in Britain prior to the conquest. The word "white" itself is derived from the Old English word "hwit." This name was most likely originally used as a nickname for a person with white hair or a pale complexion.

Early Origins of the Whites family

The surname Whites was first found in Durham, but we must look to South Warnborough in Southampton for one of the most interesting stories about the family. "The church is very ancient, with a fine Norman arch at the entrance; in the chancel is a curious monument to Sir Thomas White and his family. Tradition says that Queen Elizabeth, when residing at Odiham, rode over to the manor-house here, and after partaking of breakfast with the above-mentioned Thomas White, knighted him in his own saloon." 1

Early History of the Whites family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Whites research. Another 191 words (14 lines of text) covering the years 1086, 1106, 1172, 1236, 1327, 1560, 1579, 1585, 1593, 1620, 1628, 1630, 1656, 1657, 1676, 1685, 1686, 1690, 1698, 1704 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Whites History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Whites Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: White, Whyte, Wight and others.

Early Notables of the Whites family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was John White (c.1585), an English painter and cartographer who was sent to Roanoke Island (now in North Carolina) as artist, mapmaker, and later as governor; Andrew White (1579-1656), a Jesuit theology professor who went to Maryland as the head of a band of missionaries; Thomas White (1593-1676), an English Roman Catholic priest and scholar, known as a theologian, censured by the Inquisition; Thomas...
Another 70 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Whites Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Whites family to Ireland

Some of the Whites family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 114 words (8 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Whites migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Whites Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

John Whites, aged 28, who landed in Rhode Island in 1812 2

Citations +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
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)