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Show ContentsWhitton History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
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Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

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Early Origins of the Whitton family

The surname Whitton was first found in various shires throughout ancient Britain. The name Whitton literally means "white farmstead," or "farmstead of a man called Hwita," from the Old English words "hwit," + "tun. 1 2

Witton which is a phonetic match, is similarly found throughout England. In this case, the name literally means "farmstead in or near a wood." 1 While the parish names are different, family records typically are scattered in both places, thanks to the ancient spellings that were in use. By example, "Witton, Worcestershire, was Wytton in the 14th century, Witune and Witone [were listed ] in Domesday Book., Wittun A.D. 972, Wittona A.D. 716. The Warwickshire place, Wytton in the 14th cent., was Witone in Domesday Book. Witton, Northwich, was Wytton in the 14th cent. The Lancashire township was Wytton in the 13th cent. The Yorkshire Wittons were Witun in Domesday Book. Witton Gilbert, Durham, was Wittone in the 14th cent., Witton in the 12th century. But Witton-le-Wear, Durham, was Wotton as well as Witton in the 14th cent., apparently the Wuduton [Old English wudu, wiodu, a wood, forest] of Symeon of Durham." 3

There is some evidence that the name may be Norman in origin as the Magni Rotuli Scaccarii Normanniae lists Robert Witon in Normandy 1180-1195. 4

"There are parishes in Lincoln, Durham, Hereford, Northumberland, Salop (Shropshire) and Suffolk." 5

In Chagford, Devon, "the Whyddons the most notable was the eminent judge, Sir John, Serjeant-at-Law under Edward VI., and Judge of the Queen's Bench in the first year of Mary. He died January 27, 1575, and his monument forms one of the leading features of Chagford Church. Whyddon Park is a stretch of broken shaggy moorland hillside descending to the Teign. " 6

In Scotland, the lands of Whitton, in Morebattle parish were found in Roxburghshire. "Several individuals between 1165 and 1306 appear to have derived their surname from the lands of Whitton." 7 John Wytton was prior of St. Andrews in 1285 A.D., Michael and Adam Wytton both rendered homage to King Edward I of England in his brief conquest of Scotland in 1296. Richard de Wyttone, persone of the church of Hauwyk, also rendered homage in the same year. Michael was chief forester of the Forest of Selkirk in 1303. His seal showed a deer running. Richard Wyttone, a dignitary of the Church also rendered homage. David Qwitton was juror on an inquest at Roxburgh in 1361. Michael de Witton and Adam de Wytton of Selkirkshire rendered homage in 1296 (Bain, II, p. 198), and Thomas de Wytton had protection for two years for going on the king of England's service beyond seas, 1370. 7

Early History of the Whitton family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Whitton research. Another 82 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1165, 1303, 1370, 1400, 1576, 1585, 1588, 1595, 1635 and 1704 are included under the topic Early Whitton History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Whitton Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Whitton, Whitten, Whytten, Whytton, Wytton, Wytten, Witten, Witton, Wyton and many more.

Early Notables of the Whitton family

Notable amongst the family name during their early history was

  • Michael Whitton, Chief Forester of the Kings Forest of Selkirk in 1303. 7

Whitton Ranking

In the United States, the name Whitton is the 8,867th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 8

United States Whitton migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Whitton Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Thomas Whitton who settled in Hingham, Massachusetts in 1635 with his wife Audry and his sons Jeremy and James
  • Awdry Whitton, aged 45, who arrived in New England in 1635 9
  • Jeremy Whitton, aged 8, who landed in New England in 1635 9
  • Thomas Whitton, aged 36, who arrived in New England in 1635 9
  • Mrs. Audrey Whitton, (b. 1590), aged 45, British settler travelling from London, England aboard the ship "Elizabeth and Anne" arriving in Massachusetts Bay (Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire) in 1635 10
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Whitton Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • William Whitton, who arrived in Virginia in 1703 9
  • Henry Whitton, who arrived in Boston, Massachusetts in 1712 9
  • John Whitton, who settled in Maryland in 1731
Whitton Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • William Whitton, who landed in America in 1800 9
  • Francis Whitton, who landed in Virginia in 1884 9

Canada Whitton migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Whitton Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • Robert Whitton, who landed in Canada in 1821
  • John Whitton, aged 44, a labourer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1838 aboard the barque "Pallas" from Cork, Ireland
  • Peggy Whitton, aged 32, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1838 aboard the barque "Pallas" from Cork, Ireland
  • Mrs. Catherine Whitton, aged 75 who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "Argo" departing 4th May 1847 from Liverpool, England; the ship arrived on 12th June 1847 but she died on board 11
  • Mr. Peter Whitton, aged 13 who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "Emily" departing 12th May 1847 from Cork, Ireland; the ship arrived on 6th July 1847 but he died on board 11

Australia Whitton migration to Australia +

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

Whitton Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. George Whitton, British Convict who was convicted in Northampton, Northamptonshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Elizabeth" on 11th August 1820, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 12
  • Mrs. Elizabeth Whitton, (b.1792, aged 35 born in Gollenburg, Cornwall, UK convicted in Cornwall on 13th August 1827, sentenced for life for stealing from a person, transported aboard the ship "Borneo" in 1828 to Van Diemen's Land, Tasmania, Australia 13
  • Ms. Elizabeth Whitton(b. 1793), aged 35, Cornish settler convicted in Cornwall, UK on 13th August 1827, sentenced for life for stealing, transported aboard the ship "Borneo" on 7th May 1828 to Van Diemen's Land, Tasmania, Australia 14
  • Mr. John Whitton, British Convict who was convicted in Leeds, Yorkshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Coromandel" on 25th June 1838, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 15
  • Mr. Thomas Whitton, (b. 1820), aged 23, Scottish weaver who was convicted in Perth, Scotland for 15 years for assault, transported aboard the "Emerald Isle" on 28th June 1843, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 16
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

New Zealand Whitton 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:

Whitton Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • John Whitton, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Alma" in 1857
  • Martha Whitton, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Alma" in 1857
  • Thomas Whitton, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Alma" in 1857
  • Mary Jane Whitton, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Alma" in 1857
  • Sarah Whitton, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Alma" in 1857
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Whitton (post 1700) +

  • Margaret Ann "Peggy" Whitton (1949-2016), American stage, film and television actress, known for her roles in Major League, The Secret of My Success and Steaming
  • Michael Whitton, American film director, best known for his film Exit Strategy (2012)
  • Stephen Paul "Steve" Whitton (b. 1960), former English football striker
  • Geoff Whitton (b. 1942), former Australian rules footballer
  • Ivo Harrington Whitton (1893-1967), Australian amateur golfer, the only Australian to have won the Australian Open five times
  • Donald Richard "Don" Whitton (b. 1923), Canadian concert cellist
  • Charlotte Elizabeth Whitton OC, CBE (1896-1975), Canadian feminist, 46th Mayor of Ottawa, first female mayor of a major city in Canada
  • John Whitton (1820-1898), Australian Engineer-in-Charge for the New South Wales Railways, eponym of Whitton, New South Wales
  • John Whitton Haslem (b. 1939), Australian politician, Member of the Australian Parliament for Canberra (1975-1980)
  • Rear Admiral Roger Whitton Simpson (1898-1964), American officer awarded the Navy Cross during WWII 17
Fraterville mine
  • Mr. James R. Whitton (d. 1902), American coal miner at Fraterville mine in Tennessee, on the 19th May 1902 when an explosion collapsed the mine; he died 18
  • Mr. Henry Whitton (d. 1902), American coal miner at Fraterville mine in Tennessee, on the 19th May 1902 when an explosion collapsed the mine; he died 18
  1. Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
  2. Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
  3. Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
  4. The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
  5. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  6. Worth, R.N., A History of Devonshire London: Elliot Stock, 62, Paternoster Row, E.G., 1895. Digital
  7. 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)
  8. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  9. 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)
  10. Pilgrim Ship Lists Early 1600's. Retrieved 24th September 2021 from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
  11. Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 99)
  12. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 3rd March 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/elizabeth
  13. Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 30th May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/tasmanian_convicts_cornish.pdf
  14. Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 30th May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_australia_convicts.pdf
  15. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 19th March 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/coromandel
  16. Convict Records Voyages to Australia. Retrieved 25th March 2022 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/emerald-isle
  17. Roger Simpson. (Retrieved 2010, September 27) Roger Simpson. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rodger_W._Simpson
  18. News paper article Fraterville Mine Disaster retrieved on 6th August 2021. (Retrieved from http://www.tn.gov/tsla/exhibits/disasters/fraterville.htm).
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