Whittemore
An English surname that is a spelling variant of Whitmore, most likely meaning a person from a place called Whitmore or 'white moor.'
The #6,463 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 58,742 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Whittemore is a variant spelling of Whitmore. The surname is generally taken to come from Old English elements meaning 'white' and 'moor' or 'marsh,' so the original sense was likely 'white moor' or 'bright-colored moorland.' In some cases it may also have been used for someone from a place named Whitmore.
History
The name is documented in medieval England and appears in later records in several spellings, including Whittemore and Whitmore. Nineteenth-century surname dictionaries treat Whittemore simply as the same name as Whitmore, indicating that the form is mainly a spelling variant rather than a separate origin.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The surname appears in 14th-century records, showing that the Whitmore/Whittemore form was already established in medieval England.
From the historical record
“WHITTEAR = Whittier, q.v. WHITTEMORE = Whitmore, q.v. WHITTEN for Whitton, q.v. WHITTER = Whiter, q.v. WHITTERIDGE = Whitridge, q.v. WHITTHAM = Whitham, q.v. Whitthread”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)