Contents [hide]

Whitford History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Motto Citations

Whitford History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland

Early Origins of the Whitford family

The surname Whitford was first found in Renfrewshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Rinn Friù), a historic county of Scotland, today encompassing the Council Areas of Renfrew, East Renfrewshire, and Iverclyde, in the Strathclyde region of southwestern Scotland, where they held a family seat on the lands of Whiteford, on the River Cart, about three miles north of Paisley.

Early History of the Whitford family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Whitford research. Another 152 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1263, 1296, 1489, 1542, 1558, 1581, 1626, 1635, 1647, 1674, 1686 and 1688 are included under the topic Early Whitford History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Whitford Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Whiteford, Whitefoord, Whiteforde, Whitford and others.

Early Notables of the Whitford family

Notable amongst the family at this time was

Richard Whitford (or Whytford) (died 1542?), an English Catholic priest and author of many devotional works, probably from Whytford in Flint where he was known as 'the wretch of Syon.' His uncle, Rich...
Walter Whitford (ca. 1581-1647), was a Scottish minister, prelate and Royalist, Bishop of Brechin in 1635. His second son was Walter Whitford (d. 1686?), and English soldier who "fought on the side of...
His fourth son, David Whitford (1626-1674), was a Scottish soldier and scholar

Whitford Ranking

In the United States, the name Whitford is the 6,051^st most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 1

Whitford migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Whitford Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Mr. Joseph Whitford, (b. 1815), aged 25, English miner departing from England aboard the ship "Royal Adelaide" arriving in the United States on 21st April 1840 2
William Whitford, aged 28, who landed in Boston, Massachusetts in 1847 3
Hugh Whitford, who landed in Texas in 1850-1906 3
Mathew Whitford, aged 23, who arrived in New York, NY in 1859 3
Mr. John Whitford, (b. 1837), aged 22, Cornish miner departing from Liverpool aboard the ship "Cultivator" arriving in New York, USA on 5 April 1859 2
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Whitford migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Whitford Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

John Whitford, aged 26, who arrived in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1864

Whitford migration to Australia +

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

Whitford Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Edward Whitford, (b. 1756), aged 57, Cornish settler convicted in Cornwall, UK on 27th July 1812, sentenced for 14 years for stealing a cow, transported aboard the ship "Earl Spencer" in June 1813 to Sydney, Australia 4
Mr. Edward Whitford, British Convict who was convicted in Cornwall, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Earl Spencer" in May 1813, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1813 aboard the ship 5
Mr. Edward Whitford, (b. 1756), aged 57, Cornish settler convicted in Cornwall, UK on 27th March 1815, sentenced for life for stealing a cow, transported aboard the ship "Ocean" in August 1815 to New South Wales, Australia 4
Jane Whitford, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Fairlee" in 1840 6
Mary Whitford, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Fairlee" in 1840 6
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Whitford 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:

Whitford Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. Richard Whitford, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Joseph Fletcher" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 30th September 1853 7
Mr. William Whitford, British settler travelling from London, UK aboard the ship "Baltasara" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 20th January 1854 7
Mrs. Alice Whitford, British settler travelling from London, UK aboard the ship "Baltasara" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 20th January 1854 7
William Whitford, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Baltasara" in 1854 8
Alice Whitford, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Baltasara" in 1854 8
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Whitford (post 1700) +

Albert Edward Whitford (1905-2002), American astronomer
Bradley Whitford (b. 1959), American film and television actor
James W. Whitford, American politician, Representative from Iowa 2nd District, 1974 9
James H. Whitford (d. 1886), American politician, Member of Kansas State House of Representatives, 1870-73; Member of Kansas State Senate, 1884-86 9
J. N. Whitford, American politician, Member of North Carolina State Senate 9th District, 1883-84 9
Henry R. Whitford, American Republican politician, Candidate for Connecticut State House of Representatives from Canaan, 1904 9
Henry B. Whitford, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for Connecticut State House of Representatives from Rocky Hill, 1902 9
Greeley W. Whitford, American politician, U.S. Attorney for Colorado, 1897-1901; justice of Colorado State Supreme Court, 1921-31; Chief Justice of Colorado Supreme Court, 1929-31 9
Gilbert A. Whitford, American Democratic Party politician, Member of North Carolina State House of Representatives from Craven County, 1913-16 9
E. A. Whitford, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Minnesota, 1900 9
... (Another 12 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Whitford family +

RMS Titanic

Mr. A.H. Whitford (d. 1912), aged 37, English Second Class Saloon Steward from Southampton, Hampshire who worked aboard the RMS Titanic and died in the sinking 10

The Whitford Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Ubique aut Nusquam
Motto Translation: Everywhere or Nowhere.

Citations +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 2018, April 30). Emigrants to New York 1820 - 1891 [PDF]. Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_new_york_1820_1891.pdf
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)
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 30th May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_australia_convicts.pdf
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 8th September 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/earl-spencer
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) FAIRLIE/FAIRLEE 1840. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1840Fairlie.htm
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 1st November 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 8) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
Titanic Passenger List - Titanic Facts. (Retrieved 2016, July 13) . Retrieved from http://www.titanicfacts.net/titanic-passenger-list.html