Whitney Surname Meaning & Origin
What the Whitney last name means, where the surname began and how it spread.
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Meaning and origin of the Whitney last name
Meaning of the Whitney last name: white island. Whitney is an English surname from Whitney-on-Wye in Herefordshire, "white island", meaning dry ground in a marsh, though the first part may be a man's name, Hwita. A family took the name from the place. The last name crossed to Massachusetts in the 1630s and spread through New England. A curious detail of this family name meaning: Eli Whitney, inventor of the cotton gin, came from one of those New England lines.
Arms associated with the Whitney name
Heraldry uses only a few colours and metals, so a coat of arms associated with the Whitney surname can be read at a distance, and its blazon fits in a single line.
Get your full Whitney family history
This is only a glimpse of the Whitney story. The full Whitney history report goes much deeper into where the name began, who carried it and how the family spread, and it comes with a museum-style painted Whitney coat of arms. Get the full Whitney report.
Whitney name FAQ
What does the Whitney name mean?
White island. Common variants include Whitny, Witney.
Where does the Whitney surname come from?
It originates in England, and is also found in the United States, Australia and Canada.
Is there a Whitney coat of arms?
Arms were granted to individuals rather than to everyone with a surname. Herald Lab paints a personalized Whitney coat of arms in museum style, based on historic heraldry.
Sources: Reaney & Wilson, Dictionary of English Surnames; Dictionary of American Family Names (Oxford).