Whitmer History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

Early Origins of the Whitmer family

The surname Whitmer was first found in Staffordshire where Whitmore is a parish in the union Newcastle-under-Lyme in the hundred of Pirehill and dates back to the Domesday Book 1 where it was listed as Witemore.

The name was derived from the Old English words hwit + mor which collectively mean "white moor or marsh" 2

The parish has remained rather small in population as in 1873 it listed only 367 inhabitants. Whitmore Hall, is still standing today and was held by the Whitmore family until the 16th century when Alice Boghay, a Whitmore heiress married Edward Mainwaring of Biddulph. From then on, it passed to the Cavenagh-Mainwaring family who still hold the hall as a private residence today. It is important to now note the younger Shropshire branch of the family.

"This is a younger branch of an ancient family formerly seated at Whittimere or Whitmore, in the parish of Claverley, where it is traced to the reign of Henry III. " 3

Early History of the Whitmer family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Whitmer research. Another 112 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1572, 1593, 1599, 1612, 1620, 1637, 1640, 1648, 1653, 1654, 1659, 1661, 1666, 1677, 1695 and 1699 are included under the topic Early Whitmer History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Whitmer Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Whitmore, Whitmer, Whytemere, Whitemore, Whittimere, Whittimore and many more.

Early Notables of the Whitmer family

Distinguished members of the family include Sir William Whitmore (1572-1648), an English landowner and politician, Sheriff of Shropshire in 1620, he inherited Apley Hall, Shropshire on the death of his father in 1593; Sir Thomas Whitmore, 1st Baronet (1612-1653), an English politician, Member of Parliament for Bridgnorth in 1640; Sir William Whitmore, 2nd Baronet (1637-1699), an English politician, Member of Parliament for Bridgnorth in...
Another 64 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Whitmer Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Whitmer Ranking

In the United States, the name Whitmer is the 5,893^rd most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 4

Migration of the Whitmer family to Ireland

Some of the Whitmer 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.

Whitmer migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Whitmer Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Edward, Michael, Peter Whitmer, all, who settled in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania between 1733 and 1877
Michael Whitmer, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1733 5
Peter Whitmer, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1733 5
Ulrich Whitmer, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1733 5
Jacob Whitmer, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1762 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Whitmer (post 1700) +

David Whitmer (1805-1888), American President of the Church of the Latter Day Saints (1876-1888)
Gretchen Whitmer (b. 1971), American politician, Democratic member of the Michigan Senate and Senate Democratic Leader
Peter Whitmer Sr. (1773-1854), American early member of the Latter Day Saint movement
Mary Musselman Whitmer (1778-1856), American Mormon Witness, the wife of Peter Whitmer
John Whitmer (1802-1878), American early leader in the Latter Day Saint movement, one of the Eight Witnesses of the Book of Mormon's golden plates
Benjamin "B.J." Whitmer (b. 1978), American professional wrestler, four time World Tag Team Champion

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)
Shirley, Evelyn Philip, The Noble and Gentle Men of England; The Arms and Descents. Westminster: John Bower Nichols and Sons, 1866, 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)