Contents [hide]

Whitlock History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Canada Australia New Zealand West Indies

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Citations

Whitlock History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland
Scotland

The name Whitlock comes from the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. It was a name for a person with white hair. Looking back further, we find the name Whitlock was derived from the Old English words whit, meaning white and lock, meaning tress or hair. 1 2

Early Origins of the Whitlock family

The surname Whitlock was first found in Devon, but much later "the Whitlocks were best represented in the Halstead [Essex] district." 3

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 has only two listings for the family with very early spellings: Emma filius Witlok, Huntingdonshire; and William Witlohc, Oxfordshire. 4

Kirby's Quest also had two early entries for the family in Somerset: William atte Whytelak and Walter Whytelock. Both were "1 Edward III," in other words entered in the first year of King Edward III's reign. 5

Much further to the north in Scotland, "Th Quhyteloke" was Burgess of Edinburgh in 1403 and Robert Quhytlok was a tenant under the Abbey of Kelso in 1567. 6

Early History of the Whitlock family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Whitlock research. Another 133 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1537, 1564, 1565, 1570, 1584, 1586, 1605, 1608, 1610, 1622, 1624, 1625, 1631, 1632, 1654, 1659, 1675, 1701 and 1709 are included under the topic Early Whitlock History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Whitlock Spelling Variations

Only recently has spelling become standardized in the English language. As the English language evolved in the Middle Ages, the spelling of names changed also. The name Whitlock has undergone many spelling variations, including Whitlock, Whitelock, Witlock and others.

Early Notables of the Whitlock family

Notables of the family at this time include

William Whitlock (d. 1584), was an English historian of Lichfield, educated at Eton College, and elected to King's College, Cambridge, in 1537
John Whitlock (1625-1709), was an ejected divine, the son of Richard Whitlock, merchant, of London. 7

Whitlock Ranking

In the United States, the name Whitlock is the 1,978^th most popular surname with an estimated 14,922 people with that name. 8

Migration of the Whitlock family to Ireland

Some of the Whitlock family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Whitlock migration to the United States +

To escape the unstable social climate in England of this time, many families boarded ships for the New World with the hope of finding land, opportunity, and greater religious and political freedom. Although the voyages were expensive, crowded, and difficult, those families that arrived often found greater opportunities and freedoms than they could have experienced at home. Many of those families went on to make significant contributions to the rapidly developing colonies in which they settled. Early North American records indicate many people bearing the name Whitlock were among those contributors:

Whitlock Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Thomas and Ann Whitlock, who settled in Virginia in 1638
Tho Whitlock, who arrived in Virginia in 1638 9
Ann Whitlock, who landed in Virginia in 1651 9
Aaron Whitlock, who arrived in Maryland in 1665 9

Whitlock Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

John Whitlock, who landed in Virginia in 1702 9

Whitlock Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

James A Whitlock, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1851 9

Whitlock migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Whitlock Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Lieut.-Col. John Whitlock U.E. who settled in Queens County, New Brunswick c. 1784 he was Lieut. Col in the Militia as well as a Magistrate 10
Mr. John Whitlock U.E. who settled in Carleton [Saint John City], New Brunswick c. 1784 10
Mr. Jonathan Whitlock U.E. who settled in Carleton [Saint John City], New Brunswick c. 1784 10
Mr. Thomas Whitlock U.E. who settled in New Brunswick c. 1784 10
Mr. Thomas Whitlock U.E. who settled in Carleton [Saint John City], New Brunswick c. 1784 he died in 1792 10
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Whitlock migration to Australia +

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

Whitlock Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

William Whitlock, English convict from Northampton, who was transported aboard the "Albion" on May 17, 1823, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 11
John Whitlock, aged 29, who arrived in South Australia in 1850 aboard the ship "Sultana" 12
John Whitlock, aged 29, a labourer, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Sultana" in 1850 12
Jane Whitlock, aged 24, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Sultana" in 1850 12
Susanne Whitlock, aged 4, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Sultana" in 1850 12
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Whitlock 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:

Whitlock Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. Bell Whitlock, Scottish settler from Auchterarder travelling from Glasgow aboard the ship "Strathfieldsaye" arriving in Port Chalmers, Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 29th April 1858 13

Whitlock migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 14

Whitlock Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

William Whitlock, aged 31, who landed in Barbados in 1635 9

Contemporary Notables of the name Whitlock (post 1700) +

Thomas Ross "Tom" Whitlock (1954-2023), American songwriter and musician, best known for his Academy Award-and Golden Globe-winning song "Take My Breath Away", them song of the film Top Gun
Brand Whitlock (1869-1934), American municipal reformer, diplomat, journalist, and author
Jason Lee Whitlock (b. 1967), American sportswriter and radio personality
Albert J. Whitlock (1915-1999), Academy Award-winning British-born motion picture matte artist
Percy William Whitlock (1903-1946), English organist and composer
Lee Whitlock (1968-2023), British television and film actor, born in Hammersmith, London, known for Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007), Cassandra's Dream (2007) and Jack the Giant Slayer (2013)
Jeremy J. Whitlock (b. 1965), Canadian reactor physicist and past president and director of the Canadian Nuclear Society
Hector Harold Whitlock (1903-1985), British Olympic athlete at the 1936 Summer Olympics
Mr. Matthew Whitlock, British sheriff, held the joint position of Sheriff of Nottingham, England from 1762 to 1763
Mr. Nathaniel Whitlock, British sheriff, held the joint position of Sheriff of Nottingham, England from 1793 to 1794
... (Another 1 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Whitlock family +

HMS Royal Oak

James T. Whitlock, British Engine Room Artificer 5th Class with the Royal Navy aboard the HMS Royal Oak (1939) when she was torpedoed by U-47 and sunk; he survived the sinking 15

USS Arizona

Mr. Paul Morgan Whitlock, American Seaman Second Class from Texas, 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 16

Citations +

Arthur, William , An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names. London: 1857. Print
Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Dickinson, F.H., Kirby's Quest for Somerset of 16th of Edward the 3rd London: Harrison and Sons, Printers in Ordinary to Her Majesty, St, Martin's Lane, 1889. Print.
Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
"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)
Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Albion voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1823 with 200 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/albion/1823
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) SULTANA 1850. Retrieved http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1850Sultana.htm
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
Ships hit by U-boats crew list HMS Royal Oak (08) - (Retrieved 2018 February, 9th) - retrieved from https://uboat.net/allies/merchants/crews/ship68.html
Pearl Harbour: USS Arizona Casualties List Pearl Harbour December 7, 1941. (Retrieved 2018, July 31st). Retrieved from http://pearl-harbor.com/arizona/casualtylist.html