Show ContentsWhitt History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Whitt family

The surname Whitt was first found in Lincolnshire, where they held a family seat from very ancient times, before and after the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Domesday Book of 1086 has entries for Alwin Albus, otherwise Wit and the name is also spelt Uuit and Uite. [1] [2] [3]

The name is thought to have been an "Anglo-Saxon personal name Wit(t)a-Wise Man, Councillor [Old English wita, sage, &c.] Witta was an early descendant of Woden and ancestor of the Kentish kings." [4] Witta is believed to have been a medieval Bishop of Lichfield. He was consecrated in 737 and died between 749 and 757.

Early History of the Whitt family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Whitt research. Another 102 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1296, 1364 and 1778 are included under the topic Early Whitt History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Whitt Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Wytt, Witt, Witts, Wyght, Wythe, Wicht and others.

Early Notables of the Whitt family

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

Whitt Ranking

In the United States, the name Whitt is the 1,868th most popular surname with an estimated 17,409 people with that name. [5]


United States Whitt migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Whitt Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Robert Whitt, who arrived in Virginia in 1622 [6]
  • William Whitt, who landed in Virginia in 1623 [6]
  • Edmond Whitt, who arrived in Virginia in 1623 [6]
  • Jereme Whitt, who landed in Virginia in 1623 [6]
Whitt Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • E. Whitt, aged 33, who immigrated to America from London, in 1892
Whitt Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Henry G. Whitt, aged 34, who landed in America, in 1905
  • Nellie M. Whitt, aged 56, who settled in America, in 1914
  • Martin Whitt, aged 30, who landed in America, in 1915
  • John Whitt, aged 36, who immigrated to the United States from Nottingham, England in 1919
  • Reginald Whitt, aged 30, who landed in America, in 1922
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Whitt (post 1700) +

  • Ward Whitt (b. 1942), American professor of operations research and management sciences at Columbia University
  • William B. "W.B." Whitt (b. 1926), American politician, the 20th Mayor of Ashland, Kentucky
  • Jack Bryan Whitt (b. 1990), American gold medalist pole vaulter at the 2009 Pan American Junior Championships
  • Joe Whitt Jr., American cornerbacks coach of the NFL Green Bay Packers
  • Robert Leslie "Les" Whitt (1951-2008), American award-winning director of Alexandria Zoological Park in Alexandria, Louisiana
  • Brandon Whitt (b. 1982), American NASCAR driver, winner of the 2005 O'Reilly 200
  • Cole Whitt (b. 1991), American stock car driver
  • Leo Ernest "Ernie" Whitt (b. 1952), American former Major League Baseball catcher and coach
  • Don Whitt (b. 1930), American PGA professional golfer in the 1950s and 1960s, winner of the 1959 Memphis Open, Kentucky Derby Open
  • Private First Class Whitt Lloyd Moreland (1930-1951), United States Marine, recipient of the Medal of Honor for his actions during the Korean War

USS Arizona
  • Mr. William Byron Whitt, American Gunner's Mate Third Class from Kentucky, 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]


  1. Charnock, Richard, Stephen, Ludus Patronymicus of The Etymology of Curious Surnames. London: Trubner & Co., 60 Paternoster Row, 1868. Print.
  2. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  3. Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
  4. Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
  5. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  6. 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)
  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


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