Whitlatch History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland
Scotland

The name Whitlatch was formed many centuries ago by the ancient Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. It was a name typically given to a person with white hair. Looking back further, we find the name Whitlatch was derived from the Old English words whit, meaning white and lock, meaning tress or hair. 1 2

Early Origins of the Whitlatch family

The surname Whitlatch was first found in Devon, but much later "the Whitlocks were best represented in the Halstead [Essex] district." 3

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 has only two listings for the family with very early spellings: Emma filius Witlok, Huntingdonshire; and William Witlohc, Oxfordshire. 4

Kirby's Quest also had two early entries for the family in Somerset: William atte Whytelak and Walter Whytelock. Both were "1 Edward III," in other words entered in the first year of King Edward III's reign. 5

Much further to the north in Scotland, "Th Quhyteloke" was Burgess of Edinburgh in 1403 and Robert Quhytlok was a tenant under the Abbey of Kelso in 1567. 6

Early History of the Whitlatch family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Whitlatch research. Another 133 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1537, 1564, 1565, 1570, 1584, 1586, 1605, 1608, 1610, 1622, 1624, 1625, 1631, 1632, 1654, 1659, 1675, 1701 and 1709 are included under the topic Early Whitlatch History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Whitlatch Spelling Variations

Before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago, spelling variations of names were a common occurrence. Elements of Latin, French and other languages became incorporated into English through the Middle Ages, and name spellings changed even among the literate. The variations of the surname Whitlatch include Whitlock, Whitelock, Witlock and others.

Early Notables of the Whitlatch family

Notables of the family at this time include Edmund Whitelocke (1565-1608), English courtier, born in the parish of St. Gabriel, Fenchurch Street, London, on 10 Feb. 1564, the eldest son of Richard Whitelocke, merchant. His youngest brother, Sir James Whitelocke SL (1570-1632), was an English judge and politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1610 and 1622. 7His son, Sir Bulstrode Whitelocke (1605-1675), was an English lawyer...
Another 69 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Whitlatch Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Whitlatch Ranking

In the United States, the name Whitlatch is the 14,442^nd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 8

Migration of the Whitlatch family to Ireland

Some of the Whitlatch 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.

Whitlatch migration to the United States +

A great wave of immigration to the New World was the result of the enormous political and religious disarray that struck England at that time. Families left for the New World in extremely large numbers. The long journey was the end of many immigrants and many more arrived sick and starving. Still, those who made it were rewarded with an opportunity far greater than they had known at home in England. These emigrant families went on to make significant contributions to these emerging colonies in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers carried this name or one of its variants:

Whitlatch Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Ruby Whitlatch, aged 49, arrived in New York in 1906 aboard the ship "Oceanic" from Liverpool, England 9
Mrs. Russell Whitlatch, arrived in New York in 1909 aboard the ship "Rotterdam" from Boulogne-Sur-Mer, France 9
Gwendolen Whitlatch, aged 27, originally from Rochester, England, arrived in New York in 1924 aboard the ship "Cleveland" from Southampton, England 9
Charles R. Whitlatch, aged 30, originally from Vancouver, BC, Canada, arrived in New York in 1924 aboard the ship "Cleveland" from Southampton, England 9

Contemporary Notables of the name Whitlatch (post 1700) +

Wayne E. Whitlatch (1928-2017), American Major General in the United States Air Force who served as commander of the Air Force Test and Evaluation Center from 1980 to 1982
Luke Whitlatch (b. 1977), American artist from Casper, Wyoming
Blake Whitlatch (b. 1955), former professional American football player for the New York Jets in 1978
Terryl Anne Whitlatch (b. 1960), American illustrator, best known for her creature designs for Lucasfilm and her illustrations in the book The Katurran Odyssey

Citations +

Arthur, William , An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names. London: 1857. Print
Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. 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)
Dickinson, F.H., Kirby's Quest for Somerset of 16th of Edward the 3rd London: Harrison and Sons, Printers in Ordinary to Her Majesty, St, Martin's Lane, 1889. Print.
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)
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Ellis Island Search retrieved 15th November 2022. Retrieved from https://heritage.statueofliberty.org/passenger-result