Show ContentsWhitwham History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Whitwham family

The surname Whitwham was first found in Lincolnshire at North Witham, a small village in South Kesteven. However, Witham is also a town in the county of Essex. The parish of Witham appears in the Domesday Book of 1086 and the manor of Witham was given to the Knights Templar in 1148. John de Wytham, was 'the king's chaplain' in 1286. 1 Witham Friary is a small village and civil parish located in Somerset. "Ledstone Hall [in Ledstone, in the West Riding of Yorkshire] is a handsome mansion, anciently the seat of the Witham family." 2

Early History of the Whitwham family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Whitwham research. Another 255 words (18 lines of text) covering the years 1300, 1420, 1454, 1458, 1460, 1467, 1473, 1489, 1538, 1604, 1624, 1625, 1634, 1654, 1655, 1659, 1668, 1704, 1707, 1725, 1728, 1738, 1752, 1777, 1799 and 1884 are included under the topic Early Whitwham History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Whitwham Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Witham, Withem, Wittam, Witam, Withum, Wittum, Whittam, Whitham, Whittum, Whittem, Wytham, Wyttam, Wyttum, Wythum, Withams, Wittams and many more.

Early Notables of the Whitwham family

Notables of the family at this time include William Witham (or Wytham) (died before 1473), English cleric who was incumbent at St Marylebone until 12 November 1454, when he exchanged the office for that of Archdeacon of Stow. He was then Archdeacon of Leicester (from 1458), Dean of Arches (from c.?1460) and Dean of Wells (from 1467) until his death before 1473.Thomas Witham (c.1420-1489), was an English Chancellor of the Exchequer under Kings Henry VI and Edward IV; and Thomas Whetham, was an English lawyer and politician who sat in the House of Commons in 1624.Nathaniel Whetham (1604-1668), was an English...
Another 121 words (9 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Whitwham Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Whitwham migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Whitwham Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Jo Whitwham, aged 26, who arrived in Virginia in 1635 aboard the ship "Globe" 3
Whitwham Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • William Whitwham, who landed in Boston, Massachusetts in 1774 3
Whitwham Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • M. Whitwham, aged 33, who arrived in Ellis Island, New York aboard the ship "Arizona" in 1889 4
Whitwham Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Arthur Henry Whitwham, aged 47, who arrived in Ellis Island, New York aboard the ship "Aurania" in 1917 4
  • Isaac Whitwham, aged 66, who arrived in Ellis Island, New York aboard the ship "Laconia" in 1922 4


The Whitwham 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: Optime merenti
Motto Translation: To the best deserving.


  1. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  2. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  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. Ellis Island Search retrieved 9th February 2023. Retrieved from https://heritage.statueofliberty.org/passenger-result


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