Witters Surname, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

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The name Witters is tied to the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of England. It comes from the Old Norse personal name Vidarr, which means, wide messenger. Witters is a patronymic surname, which belongs to the category of hereditary surnames. Many patronyms were formed when a son used his father's personal name as a surname, while others came from the personal names of famous religious and secular figures. In this case, the surname was originally derived from the given name of an ancestor of the bearer. The name could also have been derived from the Anglo Saxon Wihthere, meaning "a courageous warrior."

Witters Early Origins

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The surname Witters was first found in Norfolk and Lincolnshire where the first record of the name "occurs in the Domesday Book as a tenant prior to that census. " Wyther cognomento Turnel was listed in Norfolk (1134-1140) as was Richerus filius Wither (1153-1168.) William Wither was listed in Lincolnshire c. 1160 and Geoffrey Wider was listed in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1192. The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 includes: Agnes Wyther in Cambridgeshire; Richard Wyther in Oxfordshire; Simon Wyther in Huntingdonshire; and Walter Wythor in Cambridgeshire.

Witters Spelling Variations

Only recently has spelling become standardized in the English language. As the English language evolved in the Middle Ages, the spelling of names changed also. The name Witters has undergone many spelling variations, including Withers, Wither and others.

Witters Early History

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Witters research. Another 106 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1588, 1667, 1657, 1720, 1707, 1708, 1708, 1675, 1661, 1664, 1664, 1669, 1669 and 1675 are included under the topic Early Witters History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Witters Early Notables (pre 1700)

Another 35 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Witters Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Witters In Ireland

Some of the Witters family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. Another 173 words (12 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

The Great Migration

To escape the unstable social climate in England of this time, many families boarded ships for the New World with the hope of finding land, opportunity, and greater religious and political freedom. Although the voyages were expensive, crowded, and difficult, those families that arrived often found greater opportunities and freedoms than they could have experienced at home. Many of those families went on to make significant contributions to the rapidly developing colonies in which they settled. Early North American records indicate many people bearing the name Witters were among those contributors:

Witters Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Gottfried Witters, who arrived in America in 1780 ^[4]CITATION[CLOSE]
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)

Witters Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Charles Witters, aged 46, who settled in America, in 1914
Katherine Witters, aged 39, who landed in America, in 1914
Herbert J. Witters, aged 16, who emigrated to the United States, in 1918
Agnes Witters, aged 50, who emigrated to the United States, in 1923
Margaret Witters, aged 21, who emigrated to America, in 1923
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Witters Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

William Witters, aged 31, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Alumbagh" in 1875
Annie Witters, aged 26, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Alumbagh" in 1875
Robert Witters, aged 1, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Alumbagh" in 1875

Contemporary Notables of the name Witters (post 1700)

George Witters (1876-1934), notable New Zealand farmer, horticulturist and conservationist

Witters Family Crest Products

Citations

^ Lowe, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
^ Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
^ Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
^ 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)

Other References

Egle, William Henry. Pennsylvania Genealogies Scotch-Irish and German. Harrisburg: L.S. Hart, 1886. Print.
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin . Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8).
Colletta, John P. They Came In Ships. Salt Lake City: Ancestry, 1993. Print.
Burke, Sir Bernard. General Armory Of England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales. Ramsbury: Heraldry Today. Print.
Magnusson, Magnus. Chambers Biographical Dictionary 5th edition. Edinburgh: W & R Chambers, 1990. Print.
Leeson, Francis L. Dictionary of British Peerages. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1986. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-1121-5).
Best, Hugh. Debrett's Texas Peerage. New York: Coward-McCann, 1983. Print. (ISBN 069811244X).
Passenger Lists of Vessels Arriving at Galveston Texas 1896-1951. National Archives Washington DC. Print.
Crozier, William Armstrong Edition. Crozier's General Armory A Registry of American Families Entitled to Coat Armor. New York: Fox, Duffield, 1904. Print.
Burke, John Bernard Ed. The Roll of Battle Abbey. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing. Print.
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The Witters Family Crest was acquired from the Houseofnames.com archives. The Witters Family Crest was drawn according to heraldic standards based on published blazons. We generally include the oldest published family crest once associated with each surname.

This page was last modified on 8 February 2017 at 07:58.