Weatherman History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

Weatherman is an ancient Anglo-Saxon surname that came from the Old Norse personal name Vidarr, which means, wide messenger. Weatherman is a patronymic surname, which belongs to the category of hereditary surnames. Many patronyms were formed when a son used his father's personal name as a surname, while others came from the personal names of famous religious and secular figures. In this case, the surname was originally derived from the given name of an ancestor of the bearer. The name could also have been derived from the Anglo Saxon Wihthere, meaning "a courageous warrior" or in some cases, derived from the word "wether" meaning "sheep" or "ram." In this latter case, it could denote an occupational name particularly when a suffix is added as in "Wetherman", "Wethered" and "Weatherherd."

Early Origins of the Weatherman family

The surname Weatherman was first found in Norfolk and Lincolnshire where the first record of the name "occurs in the Domesday Book as a tenant prior to that census. " 1 2

Wyther cognomento Turnel was listed in Norfolk (1134-1140) as was Richerus filius Wither (1153-1168.) William Wither was listed in Lincolnshire c. 1160 and Geoffrey Wider was listed in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1192. 3

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 includes: Agnes Wyther in Cambridgeshire; Richard Wyther in Oxfordshire; Simon Wyther in Huntingdonshire; and Walter Wythor in Cambridgeshire. 2

Early History of the Weatherman family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Weatherman research. Another 95 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1588, 1657, 1661, 1664, 1667, 1669, 1675, 1688, 1707, 1708, 1715, 1720, 1809 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Weatherman History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Weatherman Spelling Variations

The English language only became standardized in the last few centuries; therefore,spelling variations are common among early Anglo-Saxon names. As the form of the English language changed, even the spelling of literate people's names evolved. Weatherman has been recorded under many different variations, including Withers, Wither, Weather, Wetherman, Wethered and many more.

Early Notables of the Weatherman family

Distinguished members of the family include George Wither (1588-1667), an English poet, pamphleteer, and satirist. He was born at Bentworth, near Alton, Hampshire, the eldest of three sons of George Wither. "The Wither family is said to have been originally settled in Lancashire, but five generations had been settled before the poet's birth in Hampshire. The eldest branch of the family was long...
Another 63 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Weatherman Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Weatherman family to Ireland

Some of the Weatherman family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 106 words (8 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Weatherman family

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that shrouded England made the far away New World an attractive prospect. On cramped disease-ridden ships, thousands migrated to those British colonies that would eventually become Canada and the United States. Those hardy settlers that survived the journey often went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Weatherman or a variant listed above: John Withers settled in Virginia in 1638; Ralph Withers settled in Delaware in 1682; Thomas Withers settled in New Hampshire in 1630; William Withers settled in Barbados in 1654.

Contemporary Notables of the name Weatherman (post 1700) +

Clayton Weatherman (b. 1999), American professional stock car racing driver who competes part-time in the ARCA Menards Series
Woody Weatherman (b. 1965), American guitarist in Corrosion of Conformity
Kyle Weatherman (b. 1997), American race car driver who competes full-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series

Citations +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. 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)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)