WHITTINGTON
The surname Whittington is distinctly English in origin, attesting to a locational derivation that is evident in the colonial documents that record its earliest appearance in the Domesday Book of 1086. The place name itself is connected to the Old English words hwit, meaning “white,” and tun, meaning “enclosure” or “settlement.” As a result, the name can be interpreted as “the settlement of the white people” or “the white homestead”, a description that would have distinguished the community from its neighbours at a time when physical features such as a chalk hill or a white cliff would have lent themselves to such an epithet.
The name is first recorded in the 12th century as Peter de Wittinton (1201), a plea before the king or the justices during the reign of King John. The earliest textual reference to the place that gave rise to the surname is found in the 1086 survey, where the Gloucestershire village of Whittington is described as Whitune. Subsequent parish registers from the 14th and 15th centuries record a succession of bearers of the name: John de Whytyngton of Leicester in 1327, Richard Whityngton of Warwick in 1420, and Thomas Whytyngton who married Margar Daniell at Awre with Blakeney on 26 January 1551. The name’s fluid spelling – including variants such as Whiten, Whitten, Whitton and Witton – is typical of medieval orthography, yet all trace to the same locative root.
One of the most celebrated personalities to bear the surname is Richard Whittington (c. 1354–1423), a prominent fifteenth‑century merchant of London who served twice as Mayor of the city. His philanthropic endeavours and commercial success have become the stock‑in‑trade of his legacy, and the English folk‑tale “Dick Whittington and his Cat” immortalises him in popular culture. Though the precise details of his birth are unverified, the records of his death in 1423 and the posthumous accounts of his public service testify to his lasting impact on the English civic landscape.
Throughout the Middle Ages the surname remained concentrated in the counties of Gloucestershire, Shropshire and Herefordshire, where its bearers were largely engaged in agriculture. Over the following centuries the name spread beyond its original locale, reaching other parts of England and eventually crossing the Atlantic during periods of emigration. In contemporary America the surname is most frequently encountered in the south and Midwest; it ranks thirteenth in Texas and is also common in Arkansas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Kentucky and Tennessee. Despite this expansion, the name continues to be widely recognised within the United Kingdom.
In addition to its primary spelling, Whittington has inspired a range of variant surnames in the English language, including Whitenton, Whidenton, Whitatton, Whettington, Wittington, Withington and Withingtune. Internationally, analogous names have appeared in Germany (Whiddingtina), Norway (Vittington) and Sweden (Fetting), reflecting the historical mobility of English settlers and the subsequent anglicisation of foreign surnames. The modern bearers of the name are associated with many fields, from politics and industry to the performing arts, evidence of the name’s continued resonance within English‑speaking societies worldwide.
Typical given names associated with the Whittington surname
Male
- Andrew
- Christopher
- David
- James
- John
- Mark
- Michael
- Paul
- Richard
- Robert
Female
- Amanda
- Angela
- Ann
- Christine
- Claire
- Elizabeth
- Jean
- Linda
- Margaret
- Mary
- Patricia
- Sarah
- Susan
- Tracey
Similar and related surnames
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Whittington in...
Braille
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Morse
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Semaphore
Did you know?
According to a survey carried out by Democracy Club, politicians and candidates with the surname Whittington are most likely to say that their favourite biscuit is a Hobnob.
There are approximately 4,231 people named Whittington in the UK. That makes it roughly the 2,209th most common surname in Britain. Around 65 in a million people in Britain are named Whittington.
Origin: English
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: England
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: English
Famous people named Whittington
- Harry B. Whittington - Paleontologist (1916 to 2010)
- Joan Whittington - Aid worker (1907 to 1980)
- Amanda Whittington - Playwright
- Tom Whittington - Cricketer (1881 to 1944)
Names and descriptions courtesy of Wikipedia, and may contain errors. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of every famous person with this name.