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."
Early Origins of the Witters family
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. "
[1]CITATION[CLOSE]
Lowe, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print. [2]CITATION[CLOSE]
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6) 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. [3]CITATION[CLOSE]
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 includes: Agnes Wyther in Cambridgeshire; Richard Wyther in Oxfordshire; Simon Wyther in Huntingdonshire; and Walter Wythor in Cambridgeshire. [2]CITATION[CLOSE]
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Early History of the Witters family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Witters research.
Another 38 words (3 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 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.
Early Notables of the Witters family (pre 1700)
Distinguished members of the family include George Wither (1588-1667), an English poet, pamphleteer, and satirist. He was born at Bentworth, near Alton,
Hampshire, the eldest of three sons of George Wither. "The Wither family is said to have been originally settled in
Lancashire, but five generations had been settled before the poet's birth in
Hampshire. The eldest branch of the family was long...
Another 63 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Witters Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Migration of the Witters family to Ireland
Some of the Witters family moved to
Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 106 words (8 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Migration of the Witters family to the New World and Oceana
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 immigrated to the United States, in 1918
- Agnes Witters, aged 50, who immigrated to the United States, in 1923
- Margaret Witters, aged 21, who immigrated 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)
- Harry W. Witters, American Democrat politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from Vermont 2nd District, 1920, 1928; Candidate for U.S. Senator from Vermont, 1944; Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Vermont, 1948, 1956
- Grace B. Witters, American Democrat politician, Candidate for Presidential Elector for Vermont, 1924, 1932; Candidate for Presidential Elector for Vermont, 1948
- George Witters (1876-1934), notable New Zealand farmer, horticulturist and conservationist
Witters Family Crest Products
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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)