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Witter History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Citations

Witter History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Germany
Ireland

The Anglo-Saxon name Witter comes from the Old Norse personal name Vidarr, which means, wide messenger. Witter 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 Witter family

The surname Witter 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 Witter family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Witter 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 Witter History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Witter Spelling Variations

One relatively recent invention that did much to standardize English spelling was the printing press. However, before its invention even the most literate people recorded their names according to sound rather than spelling. The spelling variations under which the name Witter has appeared include Withers, Wither, Weather, Wetherman, Wethered and many more.

Early Notables of the Witter 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 Witter Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Witter Ranking

In the United States, the name Witter is the 6,415^th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 4

Migration of the Witter family to Ireland

Some of the Witter 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.

Witter migration to the United States +

At this time, the shores of the New World beckoned many English families that felt that the social climate in England was oppressive and lacked opportunity for change. Thousands left England at great expense in ships that were overcrowded and full of disease. A great portion of these settlers never survived the journey and even a greater number arrived sick, starving, and without a penny. The survivors, however, were often greeted with greater opportunity than they could have experienced back home. These English settlers made significant contributions to those colonies that would eventually become the United States and Canada. An examination of early immigration records and passenger ship lists revealed that people bearing the name Witter arrived in North America very early:

Witter Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

William Witter, who arrived in Lynn, Massachusetts in 1629 5
Thomas Witter, who arrived in Maryland in 1672 5
Ebenezer Witter, who arrived in Connecticut in 1699 5

Witter Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Geo Heinrich Witter, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1749 5

Witter Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

W H Witter, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1851 5

Witter migration to Australia +

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

Witter Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Tammy Witter, aged 17, a domestic servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1855 aboard the ship "Aliquis"

Contemporary Notables of the name Witter (post 1700) +

William Witter (b. 1804), American Democratic Party politician, Physician; Member of Connecticut State Senate 13th District, 1847
Riley B. Witter, American Republican politician, Candidate for Connecticut State House of Representatives from Brooklyn, 1906
Lawrence O. Witter, American politician, Representative from Massachusetts 14th District, 1936
James C. Witter, American politician, Representative from New York 8th District, 1896
Herman R. Witter, American Democratic Party politician, Mayor of Canton, Ohio, 1920-22, 1930-31 ; Candidate in primary for Governor of Ohio, 1928
Isaac P. Witter, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Wisconsin, 1916; Member of Wisconsin State Senate, 1917-19
George H. Witter, American Republican politician, Presidential Elector for New York, 1896; Member of New York State Senate 44th District, 1909-10
Daniel Parrish Witter (1852-1930), American Republican politician, Member of New York State Assembly from Tioga County, 1896-1900, 1916-29
Daniel Witter, American Republican politician, Member of Republican National Committee from Colorado Territory, 1868-70
Amos Witter, American politician, Member of Connecticut State House of Representatives from Plainfield, 1832, 1835
... (Another 11 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Witter family +

RMS Titanic

Mr. James W.C. Witter, aged 31, English Second Class Smoking Room Steward from Hampshire, England who worked aboard the RMS Titanic and survived the sinking by escaping in life boat 11 6

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)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
Titanic Passenger List - Titanic Facts. (Retrieved 2016, July 13) . Retrieved from http://www.titanicfacts.net/titanic-passenger-list.html