Withers
A surname that most likely began as a patronymic, meaning “son of Wither” or “son of Wider.”
The #3,176 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 27,128 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The surname Withers is generally treated as a patronymic from the old personal name Wither, sometimes linked in older sources with Wider or Widerich. In that sense, it originally meant “son of Wither” or “descendant of Wither.” Some 19th-century writers also connected the name with an old personal name meaning something like a brave or strong warrior, but the exact derivation is not fully settled.
History
Historical references place Wither as a personal name in Domesday-era records, and the surname Withers appears early in later medieval English documents. The name seems to have spread as a hereditary family name without needing a prefix such as “son,” which is why simple plural-looking Withers became established as a surname form. It also gave rise to related surnames and place-based forms such as Witherspoon and Weatherstone in older scholarship.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Some older surname books note that Withers often appears in medieval records without the “-son” ending, even though it originally functioned like a patronymic.
From the historical record
“estate, farm, &c.] WITHERS, Wither 's (Son) : v. Wither. WITHERSPOON for Wetherspoon, q.v. WITHERSTON(E (Eng.) Bel. to Witherstone (Dorset) = Wi(h)there's Stone (Monu- ment) [v. Wither ; and -1- O.E. stdn] WiTHEYl (Eng.) Dweller at i the Willow- WITHY / Tree [O.E. wi'Sig] 2 the Willow Island or Low Riparian”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)