Whiteburn History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

• Origins Available:
• Scotland
• Ireland

Etymology of Whiteburn

A Boernician family in ancient Scotland first used the name Whiteburn. They lived in any of a number of places of the same name in Ayrshire, Kincardine, and Midlothian. The place-name Whiteburn comes from the Old English words, wudu and burna, which mean wood and stream. The place-name referred to a stream which ran through the woods. The original bearer of the surname Whiteburn would have lived near such a stream.

Early Origins of the Whiteburn family

Early History of the Whiteburn family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Whiteburn research. Another 59 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1500, 1506 and 1685 are included under the topic Early Whiteburn History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Whiteburn Spelling Variations

Scribes in the Middle Ages simply spelled according to sound. The result is an enormous number of spelling variations among names that evolved in that era. Whiteburn has been spelled Woodburn, Woodburne, Woodbine, Woodbourne, Whiteburn and many more.

Early Notables of the Whiteburn family

More information is included under the topic Early Whiteburn Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Whiteburn family to Ireland

Some of the Whiteburn 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.

Migration of the Whiteburn family

Most of the Boernician-Scottish families who came to North America settled on the eastern seaboard of what would become the United States and Canada. Families who wanted a new order stayed south in the War of Independence, while those who were still loyal to the crown went north to Canada as United Empire Loyalists. In the 20th century, the ancestors of these families have gone on to rediscover their heritage through Clan societies and other patriotic Scottish organizations. Research into the origins of individual families in North America has revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Whiteburn or a variant listed above: Mary Woodburne, who came to in Virginia in 1685 with her husband; as well as James W. Robert and William Woodburn, who both arrived in Philadelphia between 1864-1878..