Contents [hide]

Whitney History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Suggested Reading Citations

Whitney History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

Whitney is one of the many names that the Normans brought with them when they conquered England in 1066. The Whitney family lived in Herefordshire, at the village of Whitney.

Early Origins of the Whitney family

The surname Whitney was first found in Herefordshire where Harold de Whitney held the Lordship of Whitney from St. Guthlac's Church.

Early History of the Whitney family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Whitney research. Another 45 words (3 lines of text) covering the years 1377, 1388, 1413, 1436, 1548 and 1601 are included under the topic Early Whitney History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Whitney Spelling Variations

Anglo-Norman names tend to be marked by an enormous number of spelling variations. This is largely due to the fact that Old and Middle English lacked any spelling rules when Norman French was introduced in the 11th century. The languages of the English courts at that time were French and Latin. These various languages mixed quite freely in the evolving social milieu. The final element of this mix is that medieval scribes spelled words according to their sounds rather than any definite rules, so a name was often spelled in as many different ways as the number of documents it appeared in. The name was spelled Whitney, Witney and others.

Early Notables of the Whitney family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

Sir Robert Whitney of Whitney-on-Wye and Pencombe, High Sheriff of Herefordshire in 1377; and Robert Whitney of Whitney-on-Wye, High Sheriff of Herefordshire in 1413 and 1436
Geoffrey Whitney (1548?-1601?), was an English poet, the son of a father of the same name, was born at, or near, Coole Pilate, a township in the parish of Acton, four miles from Nantwich in Cheshire...

Whitney Ranking

In the United States, the name Whitney is the 783^rd most popular surname with an estimated 37,305 people with that name. 1

Migration of the Whitney family to Ireland

Some of the Whitney family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 49 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Whitney migration to the United States +

Because of the political and religious discontent in England, families began to migrate abroad in enormous numbers. Faced with persecution and starvation at home, the open frontiers and generally less oppressive social environment of the New World seemed tantalizing indeed to many English people. The trip was difficult, and not all made it unscathed, but many of those who did get to Canada and the United States made important contributions to the young nations in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers with Whitney name or one of its variants:

Whitney Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Ellen Whitney, aged 30, who arrived in New England in 1635 2
Jo Whitney, aged 35, who landed in New England in 1635 2
John Whitney, who arrived in Watertown, Massachusetts in 1635 2
Jonathan Whitney, aged 1, who landed in New England in 1635 2
Nathaniell Whitney, aged 8, who arrived in New England in 1635 2
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Whitney Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Samuel Whitney, who settled in Boston in 1765
Robert Whitney, who arrived in New York in 1795 2
David Whitney, whose oath of allegiance was recorded in New York city in 1797

Whitney Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Charles Whitney, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1850 2

Whitney Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Edward L Whitney, who landed in Mobile, Ala in 1904 2
Albert Whitney, aged 64, who landed in America from London, in 1905
Ann Eliza Whitney, aged 36, who immigrated to the United States from Macclesfield, England, in 1907
Annie Whitney, aged 22, who settled in America from Sole, England, in 1907
Bridget Whitney, aged 16, who landed in America from Drumlish, Ireland, in 1907
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Whitney migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Whitney Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Miss. Betty Whitney U.E. who settled in Saint John, New Brunswick c. 1783 daughter of Sylvanus and Betty Whitney 3
Miss. Hannah Whitney U.E. who settled in Saint John, New Brunswick c. 1783 daughter of Josiah and Sarah Whitney listed as a child less than 10 years of age 3
Mr. Huldah Whitney U.E. who settled in Saint John, New Brunswick c. 1783 son of Sylvanus and Betty Whitney 3
Mr. John Whitney U.E. who settled in Saint John, New Brunswick c. 1783 son of Josiah and Sarah Whitney listed as a child less than 10 years of age 3
Mr. Josiah Whitney U.E. who settled in Saint John, New Brunswick c. 1783 son of Josiah and Sarah Whitney 3
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Whitney Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Mr. Joseph Whitney, aged 65 who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "Emigrant" departing 11th August 1847 from Liverpool, England; the ship arrived on 3rd October 1847 but he died on board 4

Whitney migration to Australia +

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

Whitney Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. John Whitney, English convict who was convicted in Essex, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Eden" on 27th August 1836, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 5
Mr. Robert Whitney, English convict who was convicted in Westminster (Wellington Baracks), London, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Emerald Isle" on 28th June 1843, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 6
William Whitney, aged 36, who arrived in South Australia in 1849 aboard the ship "Marion" 7
Elizabeth Whitney, aged 31, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Marion" in 1849 7
William Whitney, aged 36, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Marion" in 1849 7
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Whitney 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:

Whitney Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Ellen Whitney, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Owen Glendowner" in 1864
William Whitney, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Lorraine" in 1879

Contemporary Notables of the name Whitney (post 1700) +

Charlotte Anita Whitney (1867-1955), American women's rights activist, political activist, suffragist
Charles Andrew Whitney (1864-1912), American businessman and industrialist
Benson Kelley Whitney (b. 1956), American diplomat, United States Ambassador to Norway from 2006 to 2009
Asa Whitney (b. 1791), American manufacturer, inventor, railroad executive and politician
Asa Whitney (1797-1874), American dry-goods merchant and transcontinental railroad promoter, one of the first backers of an American transcontinental railway
Anne Whitney (b. 1821), American sculptor and poet
Amos Whitney (1832-1920), American mechanical engineer and Connecticut inventor, co-founder of the Pratt & Whitney company
Wheelock "Whee" Whitney Jr. (1926-2016), American businessman, educator, sports team executive and owner
Davey L. "Wiz" Whitney (1930-2015), American college head basketball coach at Texas Southern University (1964-1969) and Alcorn State University (1969-1989) and (1996-2003), inducted into the College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2010
Grace Lee Whitney (1930-2015), born Mary Ann Chase, an American actress and entertainer, best known for her role as Janice Rand, Captain Kirk's assistant on the original Star Trek television series
... (Another 13 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

The Whitney 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: Volens et valens
Motto Translation: Willing and able.

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)
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
Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 99)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 20th October 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/eden
Convict Records Voyages to Australia. Retrieved 25th March 2022 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/emerald-isle
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) The MARION 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849Marion.htm