Whiteaker History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

In ancient Anglo-Saxon England, the ancestors of the Whiteaker surname lived in one of a number of similarly-named places. The settlement of Wheatacre is in Norfolk, while Whiteacre in Waltham is in Kent; both of these names literally mean wheat-field. The place named Whitacre is in Warwickshire, while High Whitaker is in Lancashire; these names both mean white field. The surname Whiteaker belongs to the large category of Anglo-Saxon habitation names, which are derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads.

Early Origins of the Whiteaker family

The surname Whiteaker was first found in Warwickshire where the first record of the name was Johias Whitacre (1042-1066), who died while fighting at the Battle of Hastings on the side of King Harold. Despite the fact he was on the losing side of the battle, his family was permitted to keep their estates. The place names Whitacre, Over Whitacre and Nether Whitacre were listed in the Domesday Book as Witacre and literally meant "white cultivated land" from the Old English words "hwit" + "aecer." 1

One of the earliest rolls was the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273. Those rolls listed: Alan Witacur in Oxfordshire; and Richard de Whitacre in Northamptonshire. Years later, the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 listed: Henricus Wyteacre; Willelmus de Wetaker; and Rogerus Whitteacres. 2

"The Whittakers or Whitakers are numerous in Lancashire. From the 14th to the 16th century a gentle family of this name lived at High Whitaker or Whitacre in the vills of Simonstone and Padiham, in the parish of Whalley: the Whitakers of Holme and those of Henthorn branched off in the 15th century and those of Healy about 1620. " 3

One of the more interesting etymologies we found was the following: "local. The north part of a graveyard allotted to the poor was called Whittaker, from wite, a penalty, and acre,-a place of burial for criminals. A culprit who could not discharge the penalty or wite became a "witetheow," and was buried in the wite-acre. Bailey defines Whittaker "the north-east part of a flat or shoal-the middle ground." 4

We tend to believe that name was more likely "derived from a geographical locality. 'of the white acre.' " 2 as the former entry would suppose that there would be many such listings of the surname scattered throughout ancient Britain and this was clearly not the case.

Early History of the Whiteaker family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Whiteaker research. Another 101 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1300, 1375, 1548, 1580, 1586, 1595, 1622, 1640, 1642, 1646, 1659, 1660, 1661, 1679, 1695, 1696, 1701, 1702, 1704, 1715 and 1735 are included under the topic Early Whiteaker History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Whiteaker Spelling Variations

It is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, early Anglo-Saxon surnames like Whiteaker are characterized by many spelling variations. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages, even literate people changed the spelling of their names. The variations of the name Whiteaker include: Whittaker, Whittakers, Whitaker, Whitacre and others.

Early Notables of the Whiteaker family

Notables of the family at this time include Sir Richard de Whitacre (c.1300-1375), Lord of the Manors of Nether Whitacre, Over Whitacre, Elmdon, and Freasley, he claimed direct descendancy for the aforementioned Johias Whitacre; William Whitaker (1548-1595), English Anglican theologian, Master of St. John's College, Cambridge; Henry Whitaker, English politician, Member of Parliament for Westbury in 1586; William Whitaker (c.1580-1646) of Shaftesbury, an English lawyer and politician, Member of Parliament for Shaftesbury in 1640; Henry Whitaker (c...
Another 77 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Whiteaker Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Whiteaker Ranking

In the United States, the name Whiteaker is the 11,125^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 5

Migration of the Whiteaker family to Ireland

Some of the Whiteaker 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.

Whiteaker migration to the United States +

Many English families tired of political and religious strife left Britain for the new colonies in North America. Although the trip itself offered no relief - conditions on the ships were extremely cramped, and many travelers arrived diseased, starving, and destitute - these immigrants believed the opportunities that awaited them were worth the risks. Once in the colonies, many of the families did indeed prosper and, in turn, made significant contributions to the culture and economies of the growing colonies. An inquiry into the early roots of North American families has revealed a number of immigrants bearing the name Whiteaker or a variant listed above:

Whiteaker Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Samuel Whiteaker, who landed in America in 1811 6

Contemporary Notables of the name Whiteaker (post 1700) +

John Whiteaker (1820-1902), American Democratic Party politician, Governor of Oregon, 1859-62; Member of Oregon State House of Representatives, 1865-70; Member of Oregon State Senate, 1876; U.S. Collector of Internal Revenue for Oregon, 1885-90 7

The Whiteaker 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: Spes et fides
Motto Translation: Hope and faith.

Citations +

Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
Arthur, William , An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names. London: 1857. Print
"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)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 29) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html