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Whitman History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Suggested Reading Citations

Whitman History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Germany

The bountiful region surrounding the Rhine river is the birthplace of the name Whitman. A single name was, at one time, all that people needed. However, increasing ease of travel and the burgeoning populations forced people to adopt a hereditary surname to set themselves apart from others. A common form of surname created in the Rhineland was the local name. Originally denoting the proprietorship of the village or estate, the German preposition von, which means from or of, was used with local names. The surname Whitman was given to someone who lived in the area that was referred to as widem which was originally derived from the German word denoting church property. Thus the estates or farms lived in by the original bearers of the surname were owned by the church. In early times the Church was the largest landowner in Europe. Many farmers and peasants alike lived on land that was considered church property.

Early Origins of the Whitman family

The surname Whitman was first found in the Palatinate in the Rhineland valley, where the name was anciently associated with the tribal conflicts of the area. They declared allegiances to many nobles and princes of early history, lending their influence in struggles for power and status within the region. They branched into many houses, and many leaders sought their support in their search for power.

Early History of the Whitman family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Whitman research. Another 316 words (23 lines of text) covering the years 1601, 1638, 1639, 1642, 1646, 1667, 1675, 1687, 1712, 1719, 1724, 1730 and 1870 are included under the topic Early Whitman History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Whitman Spelling Variations

In the medieval era, many different cultural groups lived in the German states. There are thus many regional variations of German surnames from that era. Westphalians spoke Low German, which is similar to modern Dutch. Many German names carry suffixes that identify where they came from. Others have phrases attached that identify something about the original bearer. Other variations in German names resulted from the fact that medieval scribes worked without the aid of any spelling rules. The spelling variations of the name Whitman include Widmann, Widman, Widemann, Wideman, Witmann, Witman, Wittmann, Wittman, Whitman and many more.

Early Notables of the Whitman family

Another 29 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Whitman Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Whitman Ranking

In the United States, the name Whitman is the 1,920^th most popular surname with an estimated 17,409 people with that name. 1

Whitman migration to the United States +

The great European flow of migration to North America, which began in the middle of the 17th century and continued into the 20th century, was particularly attractive to those from the Rhineland who wished to escape either poverty or religious persecution. Many of those who left the Rhineland to seek their fortunes in the prosperous and free New World settled in the major urban centers of the United States and Canada. In the United States, the settlers from the Rhineland passed through immigration centers like that of Ellis Island, most of them moving on to Pennsylvania, Ohio, Texas, Illinois, California, and New York. In Canada, the majority of Rhinelanders settled in Ontario and the prairie provinces. An examination of passenger and immigration lists has revealed many important settlers to North America bearing the name Whitman, or one of its variants above:

Whitman Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Zacharia Whitman, aged 40, British settler traveling aboard the ship "Truelove" arriving in Massachusetts Bay in 1635 2
Miss Sara Whitman, (b. 1610), aged 25, British settler traveling aboard the ship "Truelove" arriving in Massachusetts Bay in 1635 3
Mr. Zacharia Whitman, (b. 1633), aged 2 years 6 months, British settler traveling aboard the ship "Truelove" arriving in Massachusetts Bay in 1635 3
Thomas Whitman, who arrived in Weymouth, Massachusetts in 1653 2
Valentine Whitman, who landed in New England in 1654 2
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Whitman Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Maria Phillis Whitman, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1729 2
Mathies Whitman, aged 56, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1733 2
Johanes Whitman, aged 15, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1733 2
Mara Catrana Whitman, aged 38, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1733 2
George Whitman, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1760 2

Whitman Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Michael Whitman, who arrived in Ohio in 1850 2
Philip Whitman, aged 29, who arrived in Alabama in 1855 2
Frank Whitman, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1861 2

Whitman migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Whitman Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

John Whitman, who arrived in Anapolis (Annapolis), Nova Scotia in 1760
Noah Whitman, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1760
Mr. George Whitman U.E. who settled in Canada c. 1784 4

Whitman migration to Australia +

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

Whitman Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Frederick Whitman, aged 17, a printer, who arrived in Holdfast Bay, Australia aboard the ship "Africaine" in 1836 5
Miss Hephzebah Whitman who was convicted in Beccles, Suffolk, England for 10 years, transported aboard the "Emma Eugenia" on 25th October 1850, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 6

Whitman 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:

Whitman Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

George Whitman, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1841

Contemporary Notables of the name Whitman (post 1700) +

Walter "Walt" Whitman (1819-1892), American poet, journalist and essayist, best known for his "Leaves of Grass"
Margaret Cushing "Meg" Whitman (b. 1956), American President and Chief Executive Officer of eBay (1998-2008), President and Chief Executive Officer of Hewlett-Packard (2011-2018), CEO of NewTV (2018-)
Robert Whitman (1935-2024), American artist best known for his seminal theater pieces of the early 1960s
Stuart Maxwell Whitman (1928-2020), American Academy Award nominated film and television actor, known for his work in The Mark (1961), The Comancheros (1961) and Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines (1965)
Martin J. Whitman (1924-2018), American investment adviser, founder and Co-Chief Investment Officer of Third Avenue Management
John Russell Whitman (1944-2015), American businessman and investment banker, First Gentleman of New Jersey (1994-2001)
Sarah Helen Power Whitman (1803-1878), American poet, essayist, spiritualist and romantic interest of Edgar Allan Poe
Sarah de St. Prix Wyman Whitman (1842-1904), American artist and illustrator, stained glass designer, and author
Kari Kennell Whitman (b. 1964), American model and actress
Frank Perkins Whitman (1853-1919), American physicist and professor of physics at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (1880-1886)
... (Another 11 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Whitman family +

HMS Prince of Wales

Mr. George Frederick Whitman, British Marine, who sailed into battle on the HMS Prince of Wales (1941) and survived the sinking 7

Citations +

"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)
Pilgrim Ship's of 1600's. Retrieved October 6th 2021 from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
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
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) AFRICAINE 1836. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1836Africaine.htm
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 7th April 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/emma-eugenia
HMS Prince of Wales Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listprincecrew.html