Whitehead
A surname that usually began as a nickname for a person with white or fair hair, though in some cases it may point to a place or field-name.
The #776 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 6,958 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Whitehead is an English surname formed from 'white' plus 'head.' In most cases it was a descriptive nickname for someone with white, fair, or light hair, or more generally a pale appearance. In some instances, it may also have referred to someone living by a 'white head' or bright headland, hilltop, or similar local feature.
History
The surname is recorded in medieval England, including forms such as Adam Whiteheved in Yorkshire in 1379. Later spelling variants include Whytehead and Whitehede-like forms. As with many medieval nicknames, some branches of the name may have overlapped with place-based bynames.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Bardsley noted Whitehead among a whole cluster of color-based English surnames, alongside names like Brownbeard and Silverlock.
From the historical record
“survived in France. WHITEHEAD (Eng.) i With a White Head ; White-haired, Fair-haired [O.K. hwit -{■ hedfod] Adam Whiteheved. — Yorks Poll-Tax, A.r>. 1379. 2 (occ.) Dweller at the White Head or Top (of field, &c.)”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)