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

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The bearers of Whyte and its variants are generally thought to have come from the noble family of Le Blancs in Normandy, who traveled to England in the wake of the Norman Conquest. Although the name certainly came to Britain from Normandy, there is some speculation that it already existed in Britain prior to the conquest. The word "white" itself is derived from the Old English word "hwit." This name was most likely originally used as a nickname for a person with white hair or a pale complexion.

Early Origins of the Whyte family

The surname Whyte was first found in Durham, but we must look to South Warnborough in Southampton for one of the most interesting stories about the family. "The church is very ancient, with a fine Norman arch at the entrance; in the chancel is a curious monument to Sir Thomas White and his family. Tradition says that Queen Elizabeth, when residing at Odiham, rode over to the manor-house here, and after partaking of breakfast with the above-mentioned Thomas White, knighted him in his own saloon." 1

Early History of the Whyte family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Whyte research. Another 191 words (14 lines of text) covering the years 1086, 1106, 1172, 1236, 1327, 1560, 1579, 1585, 1593, 1620, 1628, 1630, 1656, 1657, 1676, 1685, 1686, 1690, 1698, 1704 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Whyte History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Whyte Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: White, Whyte, Wight and others.

Early Notables of the Whyte family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was John White (c.1585), an English painter and cartographer who was sent to Roanoke Island (now in North Carolina) as artist, mapmaker, and later as governor; Andrew White (1579-1656), a Jesuit theology professor who went to Maryland as the head of a band of missionaries; Thomas White (1593-1676), an English Roman Catholic priest and scholar, known as a theologian, censured by the Inquisition; Thomas...
Another 70 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Whyte Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Whyte World Ranking

In the United States, the name Whyte is the 4,460th most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. 2 However, in Australia, the name Whyte is ranked the 595th most popular surname with an estimated 6,567 people with that name. 3 And in New Zealand, the name Whyte is the 353rd popular surname with an estimated 1,811 people with that name. 4 The United Kingdom ranks Whyte as 623rd with 10,587 people. 5

Ireland Migration of the Whyte family to Ireland

Some of the Whyte family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 114 words (8 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

United States Whyte migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Whyte Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Daniel Whyte, who landed in Charleston, South Carolina in 1813 6
  • Nicholas Whyte, aged 30, who landed in St Louis, Missouri in 1840 6
  • Frederich Whyte, aged 26, who arrived in St Louis, Missouri in 1842 6
  • Joseph Whyte, who landed in Charleston, South Carolina in 1845 6
  • Agnes Bryson Whyte, who arrived in Georgia in 1853 6
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Australia Whyte migration to Australia +

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

Whyte Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Thomas Whyte, (b. 1793), aged 22, English master mariner who was convicted in Edinburgh, Scotland for 14 years, transported aboard the "Baring" in April 1815, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1826 7
  • Mr. John Whyte, Scottish convict who was convicted in Glasgow, Scotland for 14 years, transported aboard the "Asia" on 19th November 1827, settling in New South Wales, Australia 8
  • Mr. Andrew Whyte, (b. 1796), aged 35, Scottish farm labourer who was convicted in Glasgow, Scotland for 14 years, transported aboard the "Exmouth" on 3rd March 1831, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 9
  • Mr. James Whyte, Scottish convict who was convicted in Perth, Scotland for 7 years, transported aboard the "Elphinstone" on 28th July 1842, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 10
  • Mary Whyte, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Forfarshire" in 1848 11
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

New Zealand Whyte 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:

Whyte Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Thomas Whyte, Scottish settler travelling from Glasgow aboard the ship "Jura" arriving in Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 23rd September 1858 12
  • Mrs. Whyte, Scottish settler travelling from Glasgow with 5 children aboard the ship "Jura" arriving in Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 23rd September 1858 12
  • Miss Elizabeth Whyte, Scottish settler travelling from Glasgow aboard the ship "Jura" arriving in Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 23rd September 1858 12
  • Mr. William Whyte, Scottish settler travelling from Leith aboard the ship 'Melbourne' arriving in Port Chalmers, Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 18th March 1861 12
  • Miss Catherine Whyte, Scottish settler travelling from Glasgow aboard the ship "Storm Cloud" arriving in Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 30th July 1861 13
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Whyte (post 1700) +

  • Ronald McLeod Whyte (1942-2023), American jurist, Senior judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of California (2009-2023)
  • Joe Whyte (b. 1961), American actor and voice actor
  • Scott Whyte (b. 1978), American actor
  • Ronald Melville Whyte (1941-1989), American playwright, critic, and disability rights activist
  • William Hollingsworth "Holly" Whyte (1917-1999), American urbanist, organizational analyst, journalist
  • Zack Whyte (1898-1967), American jazz bandleader
  • Samuel Whyte (1733-1811), English school-master and author, natural son of Captain Solomon Whyte, Deputy-Governor of the Tower of London 14
  • David Whyte (b. 1971), English former footballer
  • Alain Gordon Whyte (b. 1967), English guitarist, singer, and songwriter
  • Jack Whyte (1940-2021), Scottish-born, Canadian novelist of historical fiction who had been living in Canada since 1967
  • ... (Another 16 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Empress of Ireland
  • Mrs. Mary Whyte (1886-1914), née Knox Canadian Second Class Passenger from New Westminster, British Columbia, Canada who was traveling aboard the Empress of Ireland and died in the sinking 15
  • Miss Jennie Whyte (1913-1914), Canadian Second Class Passenger from New Westminster, British Columbia, Canada who was traveling aboard the Empress of Ireland and died in the sinking 15
  1. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  2. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  3. "Most Common Last Names in Australia." Forebears, https://forebears.io/australia/surnames
  4. "Most Common Last Names in New Zealand." Forebears, https://forebears.io/new-zealand/surnames
  5. "UK surname ranking." UK Surname map, https://www.surnamemap.eu/unitedkingdom/surnames_ranking.php?p=10
  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. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 16th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/baring
  8. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 8th January 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/asia/1827
  9. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 25th May 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/exmouth
  10. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 23rd March 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/elphinstone
  11. State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) FORFARSHIRE 1848. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1848Forfarshire.htm
  12. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  13. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  14. Wikisource contributors. "Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900." Wikisource . Wikisource , 4 Jun. 2018. Web. 30 Jan. 2019
  15. Commemoration Empress of Ireland 2014. (Retrieved 2014, June 17) . Retrieved from http://www.empress2014.ca/seclangen/listepsc1.html
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