Show ContentsWhitehouse History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Etymology of Whitehouse

What does the name Whitehouse mean?

The Pictish clans of ancient Scotland were the ancestors of the first people to use the name Whitehouse. It comes from in Aberdeenshire, where the family was found since the early Middle Ages.

Early Origins of the Whitehouse family

The surname Whitehouse was first found in Aberdeenshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Obar Dheathain), a historic county, and present day Council Area of Aberdeen, located in the Grampian region of northeastern Scotland, where they held a family seat from very ancient times, some say before the Norman Conquest in 1066.

Early History of the Whitehouse family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Whitehouse research. Another 97 words (7 lines of text) covering the year 1549 is included under the topic Early Whitehouse History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Whitehouse Spelling Variations

Translation has done much to alter the appearance of many Scottish names. It was a haphazard process that lacked a basic system of rules. Spelling variations were a common result of this process. Whitehouse has appeared Whitehouse, Whitehorse and others.

Early Notables of the Whitehouse family

Notable amongst the Clan at this time was

  • Whitehouse of Berwick

Whitehouse Ranking

In the United States, the name Whitehouse is the 5,073rd most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 1 However, in the United Kingdom, the name Whitehouse is ranked the 505th most popular surname with an estimated 12,830 people with that name. 2


Whitehouse migration to the United States +

Many Scots left their country to travel to the North American colonies in search of the freedom they could not find at home. Of those who survived the difficult voyage, many found the freedom they so desired. There they could choose their own beliefs and allegiances. Some became United Empire Loyalists and others fought in the American War of Independence. The Clan societies and highland games that have sprung up in the last century have allowed many of these disparate Scots to recover their collective national identity. A search of immigration and passenger ship lists revealed many early settlers bearing the Whitehouse name:

Whitehouse Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • William Whitehouse, who landed in Maryland in 1673 3
  • Jo and Elizabeth Whitehouse, who settled in Virginia in 1677
  • Thomas Whitehouse, who arrived in New Hampshire in 1688 3
Whitehouse Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • James Whitehouse, aged 40, who arrived in New York in 1812 3
  • Joseph T Whitehouse, aged 45, who landed in Virginia in 1812 3
  • Henry Whitehouse, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1835 3

Whitehouse migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Whitehouse Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • Mr. Isaac Whitehouse U.E. who arrived at Port Roseway, [Shelburne], Nova Scotia on October 26, 1783 was passenger number 246 aboard the ship "HMS Clinton", picked up on September 28, 1783 at Staten Island, New York, USA 4
  • Mrs. Sarah Whitehouse U.E. who arrived at Port Roseway, [Shelburne], Nova Scotia on October 26, 1783 was passenger number 309 aboard the ship "HMS Clinton", picked up on September 28, 1783 at Staten Island, New York, USA 4
Whitehouse Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • Eliza Whitehouse, who arrived in Victoria, British Columbia in 1862

Whitehouse migration to Australia +

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

Whitehouse Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Joseph Whitehouse, (b. 1798), aged 23, English farm labourer who was convicted in Warwick, Warwickshire, England for 7 years for felony, transported aboard the "Claudine" on 20th May 1821, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land), he died in 1856 5
  • Mr. William Whitehouse, English convict who was convicted in Warwick, Warwickshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Claudine" on 20th May 1821, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 5
  • Mr. Albert Whitehouse, (b. 1805), aged 23, English printer who was convicted in Worcester, Worcestershire, England for life for theft, transported aboard the "Eliza" on 25th June 1828, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1833 6
  • Mr. James Whitehouse, English convict who was convicted in Somerset, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Bengal Merchant" on 13th March 1828, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 7
  • Mr. John Whitehouse, English convict who was convicted in Leicester, Leicestershire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Eden" on 27th August 1836, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 8
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Whitehouse 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:

Whitehouse Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • John Whitehouse, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1840
  • William Whitehouse, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1840
  • Mr. John Whitehouse, (1801-1854), aged 39, British agricultural labourer, born in Bickenhill, West Midlands, England travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Lord William Bentinck" arriving in Wellington, New Zealand on 24th May 1841 9
  • Mrs. Charlotte Whitehouse, (1806-1891), aged 34, British settler travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Lord William Bentinck" arriving in Wellington, New Zealand on 24th May 1841 9
  • Mr. Thomas Whitehouse, (1836-1913), aged 5, British settler, born in Bickenhill, West Midlands, England travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Lord William Bentinck" arriving in Wellington, New Zealand on 24th May 1841 9
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Whitehouse migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 10
Whitehouse Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century
  • John and William Whitehouse who settled in Barbados in 1654

Contemporary Notables of the name Whitehouse (post 1700) +

  • Sheldon Whitehouse (b. 1955), American politician from Rhode Island, State Attorney General for Rhode Island
  • Morris H. Whitehouse (1878-1944), American architect, best known as the designer of the Gus Solomon United States Courthouse in Portland
  • H. Remsen Whitehouse, American politician, U.S. Consul General in Guatemala City, 1884 11
  • Gordon P. Whitehouse, American Democratic Party politician, Member of Connecticut State House of Representatives from Ashford; Elected 1948 11
  • Frank C. Whitehouse, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Maine, 1908 11
  • Edwin K. Whitehouse, American politician, Independent Candidate for Connecticut State House of Representatives from Chaplin, 1902 11
  • Charles Sheldon Whitehouse (1921-2001), American politician, U.S. Ambassador to Laos, 1973-75; Thailand, 1975-7 11
  • Charles S. Whitehouse, American Republican politician, Member of New Hampshire State Senate 5th District, 1863-65; Delegate to Republican National Convention from New Hampshire, 1872 11
  • Benjamin T. Whitehouse, American politician, Socialist Labor Candidate for Governor of New Hampshire, 1898 11
  • Arthur W. Whitehouse, American politician, Mayor of Johnson City, New York, 1948-51 11
  • ... (Another 17 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

HMS Prince of Wales
  • Mr. Frederick Whitehouse, British Able Seaman, who sailed into battle on the HMS Prince of Wales (1941) and survived the sinking 12
HMS Royal Oak
  • Gordon Whitehouse, British Stoker Petty Officer with the Royal Navy aboard the HMS Royal Oak (1939) when she was torpedoed by U-47 and sunk; he survived the sinking 13
SS Alcoa Puritan
  • C.R. Whitehouse, American Fireman from Everett, Massachusetts, who was working aboard the SS Alcoa Puritan (1942) traveling from Port of Spain, Trinidad to Mobile, Alabama when it was torpedoed by U-boat U-507; he survived the sinking 14


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. "UK surname ranking." UK Surname map, https://www.surnamemap.eu/unitedkingdom/surnames_ranking.php?p=10
  3. 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)
  4. Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
  5. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 17th February 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/claudine
  6. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 17th February 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/eliza
  7. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 7th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/bengal-merchant
  8. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 20th October 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/eden
  9. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  10. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
  11. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 13) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  12. HMS Prince of Wales Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listprincecrew.html
  13. Ships hit by U-boats crew list HMS Royal Oak (08) - (Retrieved 2018 February, 9th) - retrieved from https://uboat.net/allies/merchants/crews/ship68.html
  14. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Alcoa_Puritan_(1941) - (Retrieved 2018, February 8th)


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