Whitson
A surname that usually means “White’s son,” though in some cases it may have referred to someone born on Whitsunday.
The #3,820 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 33,295 Americans shares it.
Etymology
This surname is usually explained as an English patronymic, meaning “son of White,” with White used as a personal name or nickname. A second possible explanation in older sources connects it with Whitsunday, the feast day of Pentecost, and treats the name as a birth-name for someone born on that day. The Old English phrase behind Whitsunday was literally “white Sunday.”
History
The form is recorded in medieval England, and historical surname writers already noted more than one possible explanation. In later usage the spelling Whitson became established, alongside related forms such as Whiteson. The name is now found especially in English-speaking countries, including the United States.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Older surname books sometimes linked Whitson to Whitsunday, so the name could originally have carried a calendar-day meaning as well as a family-name meaning.
From the historical record
“14th cent. WHITSON (Eng.) i White's Son : v. White. 2 for Whitsunday : a name given to one born on that day [O.E. hwita sunnan- dceg, lit. White Sunday] William Wytesoneday. — Hund. Rolls. WHITSTABLE (Eng.) Bel. to Whitstable”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)