Show ContentsWhitlow History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Whitlow family

The surname Whitlow was first found in Edinburghshire, a former county, now part of the Midlothian council area where they held a family seat in the lands of Whitelaw in the parish of Morbattle. 1 There was also a barony of Whitelaw in the parish of Bowden.

"Several of this name are mentioned in the Ragman Roll; and in the reign of King James II. one Archibald Whitelaw was an eminent prelate, and secretary of state to that king." 2

And another source notes that the name could have been "from Whitlow; a location name in Northumberland. " 3

However, the greatest entries were found in the aforementioned Scottish source. "John de Wytelowe of the county of Edneburk, rendered homage in 1296 to King Edward I and was ancestor of Whitelaws of that Ilk near Dunbar. His seal bears a seven-leaved flower and S' Joh's de Vitlav. John Whitelaw de eodem, was a juror on inquest on bounds of lands of Gladmor (Gladsmuir) in 1430 and Archibald de Quhitelaw, was Archdeacon of St. Andrews 'infra partes Laudonie' in 1470. " 1

Early History of the Whitlow family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Whitlow research. Another 82 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1578, 1581 and 1586 are included under the topic Early Whitlow History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Whitlow Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Whitelaw, Whytelaw, Whitlaw, Whitelow, Whitlow and many more.

Early Notables of the Whitlow family

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

Whitlow Ranking

In the United States, the name Whitlow is the 3,410th most popular surname with an estimated 9,948 people with that name. 4

Migration of the Whitlow family to Ireland

Some of the Whitlow 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.


Whitlow migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Whitlow Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • William Whitlow, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1876 5
  • George Whitlow, aged 23, who landed in America, in 1893
  • Kist Whitlow, aged 18, who settled in America from Cheshire, in 1893
  • Mable Whitlow, aged 1, who landed in America, in 1893
Whitlow Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Richard Whitlow, aged 21, who immigrated to the United States from Oldham, in 1906
  • James Whitlow, aged 24, who settled in America from Oldham, England, in 1907
  • Maria Whitlow, aged 26, who immigrated to America from Mohill, Ireland, in 1908
  • Ralph Whitlow, aged 10, who landed in America, in 1911
  • Henry Turner Whitlow, aged 31, who landed in America from Horwich, England, in 1912
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Whitlow migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Whitlow Settlers in Canada in the 20th Century
  • Annie Elizabeth Whitlow, aged 35, who immigrated to Toronto, Canada, in 1920
  • Frederick J. Whitlow, aged 36, who settled in Toronto, Canada, in 1920
  • Evelyn F. Whitlow, aged 30, who immigrated to London, Canada, in 1922
  • Albert H. Whitlow, aged 36, who settled in London, Canada, in 1922
  • Albert Henry Whitlow, aged 37, who immigrated to London, Canada, in 1924

Whitlow migration to Australia +

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

Whitlow Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Joseph Whitlow, British convict who was convicted in Chester, Cheshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Competitor"18th March 1823, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 6

Whitlow 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:

Whitlow Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Mrs. Mary Whitlow, (b. 1828), aged 34, Cornish needlewoman departing on 29th May 1862 aboard the ship "Mersey" arriving in Lyttelton, Canterbury, New Zealand on 22nd September 1862 7
  • Miss Mary Jane Whitlow, (b. 1836), aged 26, Cornish domestic servant departing on 29th May 1862 aboard the ship "Mersey" arriving in Lyttelton, Canterbury, New Zealand on 22nd September 1862 7
  • Mr. Stephen V. Whitlow, (b. 1851), aged 11, Cornish settler departing on 29th May 1862 aboard the ship "Mersey" arriving in Lyttelton, Canterbury, New Zealand on 22nd September 1862 7
  • Mr. Thomas Whitlow, (b. 1849), aged 13, Cornish settler departing on 29th May 1862 aboard the ship "Mersey" arriving in Lyttelton, Canterbury, New Zealand on 22nd September 1862 7
  • Mr. William Whitlow, (b. 1845), aged 17, Cornish farm labourer departing on 29th May 1862 aboard the ship "Mersey" arriving in Lyttelton, Canterbury, New Zealand on 22nd September 1862 7

Contemporary Notables of the name Whitlow (post 1700) +

  • Robert Edward "Bob" Whitlow (1936-2020), American professional NFL football player center who played from 1960 to 1968
  • Robert Whitlow, American three-time ICVM Crown Award winning writer
  • Christopher Whitlow, American stuntman, known for his work in Thor: The Dark World (2013) and 4.3.2.1 (2010)
  • Woodrow Whitlow Jr., American associate administrator for Mission Support at NASA
  • Colonel Robert V. Whitlow (1918-1997), American military officer, football coach, university athletic director, and sports club executive
  • Jill Whitlow (b. 1963), American motion picture and television actress, known for her roles in Porky's (1982), Weird Science (1985) and Mask (1985)
  • Frederick William James "Fred" Whitlow (1904-1978), English professional footballer who played from 1922 to 1937
  • Michael William "Mike" Whitlow (b. 1968), English former professional footballer
  • Charles Whitlow Norwood Jr. (1941-2007), American Republican politician, U.S. Representative from Georgia, 1995-2007 (10th District 1995-2003, 9th District 2003-07, 10th District 2007) 8


The Whitlow 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: Solertia ditat
Motto Translation: Prudence enriches.


  1. Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
  2. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  3. Barber, Henry, British Family Names London: Elliot Stock, 62 Paternoster Row, 1894. Print.
  4. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  5. 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)
  6. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 5th March 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/competitor
  7. Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 2018, April 30). Emigrants to Lyttelton 1858-84 [PDF]. Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/new_zealand_assisted.pdf
  8. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, April 1) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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