Whittington
A habitational surname from English place-names meaning “the estate or town of the white/fair people,” especially Whittington in several counties.
The #2,059 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 17,625 Americans shares it.
Etymology
This surname is generally taken from one or more English place-names called Whittington. The usual explanation derives them from Old English hwit, meaning “white” or “fair,” plus the patronymic/plural element -inga- and tūn, “farmstead, estate, or settlement,” giving the sense “settlement of the Hwit(a) family” or “white people’s settlement.” Some older writers also suggested a simpler form based on a personal name Hwit(a), but the place-name explanation is the standard one.
History
The name is well attested in medieval records, and people called de Whittington were already appearing in the 14th century. It is associated with several English localities, including places in Worcestershire, Gloucestershire, Staffordshire, Norfolk, Shropshire, and elsewhere. The surname is best known through the London mercer and twice Lord Mayor Richard “Dick” Whittington, whose legendary cat helped make the name famous.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
One of the earliest spellings cited in historical sources is Huitingttin/Huuitingtun in a charter dated 816.
From the historical record
“WHITTINGSTALL for Whittonstall, q.v. WHITTINGTON (Eng.) Bel. to Whittington (common): i the A.-Sax. *Hwitinga-tun = the Estate of the Hwit(a Family [O.E. hwit, white, fair -f- -inga, genit. pi. ot the fil. suff. -ing -^ tiin, estate, farm, &c.] 2 for the A.-Sax. *//witoj-to'« = HwiTA's”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)