Whyte
A spelling variant of White, usually a nickname for someone fair-haired or light-complexioned.
The #4,609 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 40,092 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Whyte is a spelling variant of White, from Old English hwīt, meaning “white” or “bright.” As a surname it was commonly used as a nickname for a person with fair hair, pale skin, or a light complexion. In Scottish and Irish records, the form Whyte is especially common, alongside the standard spelling White.
History
Historical sources treat Whyte as the Scottish form of White, and one 19th-century authority notes that families of the name were established as free barons in parts of Scotland. In Ireland, the surname could also appear through translation or anglicization of native names rendered as “White.” The spelling survives today as a recognized surname in Scotland, Ireland, and the English-speaking world more broadly.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Some Scottish Whyte families were later said by genealogical tradition to descend from the French family of Le Blanc, another surname meaning “white.”
From the historical record
“per = Ger. wimmern, to whimper : onoma- topoeic] WHYTE = White, q.v. WHYTLAW = Whitelaw, q.v. WIARD, see the commoner form Wyard. WIATT, see Wyatt. WIBBLE (Eng. andA.-Fr.-Teut.) adescendant oilhe A.-Sax.Wibald,Wigh{e)ald = War- Bold [O.E. wig, war, battle + b{e)ald, bold, brave] ; and f. the homogeiielic Fr.”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)