Whytehead Surname

2,635,433rd
Most Common
surname in the World

Approximately 54 people bear this surname

Most prevalent in:
England
Highest density in:
Jamaica

Whytehead Surname Definition:

This surname is derived from a nickname. 'with the whitehead,' a common sobriquet, as our records prove, especially in North England; compare Hoar. There is no evidence of a local origin, although Redhead and Blackett (Blackhead) are, like Greenhead, local occasionally.

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Whytehead Surname Distribution Map

PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
England201:2,785,90397,972
Belgium141:821,18966,436
United States81:45,307,367917,113
Jamaica71:409,9929,090
South Africa21:27,088,852277,613
Zimbabwe21:7,719,120118,432
Scotland11:5,353,81763,002
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
England271:902,79138,028
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
United States61:8,369,781355,680

Whytehead Surname Meaning

From Where Does The Surname Originate? meaning and history

This surname is derived from a nickname. 'with the whitehead,' a common sobriquet, as our records prove, especially in North England; compare Hoar. There is no evidence of a local origin, although Redhead and Blackett (Blackhead) are, like Greenhead, local occasionally. Modern instances are needless. The name exists wherever Englishmen settle.

Roger Witheyed, Huntingdonshire, 1273. Hundred Rolls.

William Witheyed, Cambridgeshire, ibid.

Adam Whiteheued, 1379: Poll Tax of Yorkshire.

Johannes Whittehed, 1379: ibid.

Robertus Qwytheued, 1379: ibid.

John Whwiteheyed, Yorkshire: Fabric Rolls of York Minster: Wills and Inventories (Surtees Society).

Rauf Whytehed, Yorkshire Testamenta Eboracensia (Surtees Society).

1745. Married — Owen Whitehead to Mary Russel: St. Michael, Cornhill.

A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames (1896) by Charles Wareing Endell Bardsley

"Fair or white haired." Adam Whytehevde de Hoton, juror on inquisition before the sheriff of Berwick, 1300 (Bain, II, 1178). Henry Quhitehede, burgess of Edinburgh, 1423 (Egidii, p. 46). Andrew Quhytheide was vicar of Lownane in 1485 (RAA., II, 268), and another Andrew Quhithede or Quhittat was rector of Aldcathy, 1523—4 (Scon, p. 202-3). Philip Quhithede was fined for disturbance in Aberdeen, 1492 (CRA., I, p. 421), and another Philip Quhitehede or Quhithed was chamberlain of Linlithgow and a witness in 1557 (ER., XIX, p. 30; Johnsoun). A family of Whitehead of Park flourished in West Lothian in 1585, and Philip Whitehead, sheriff depute of Linlitngow, sat in the Scottish Parliament, 1585 (APS., III, p. 373). Matthew Weitheid or Weitheit, 1575, or Weitheit, 1577, or Weitit, 1581, appears in Dunfermline (Dunfermline). John Whythead at Greatcorse of St. Mary's Isle, 1686 (Kirkcudbright), and George Whitehead was tenant in Lochrig, 1845 (Heirs, 831). Quhitheid 1526, Quhytheid 1585, Quhythed 1466.

The Surnames of Scotland (1946) by George Fraser Black (1866-1948)

1. This common surname is doubtless derived from the hoary locks of its original bearer. The Annals of the Four Masters mention an Irishman of distinction who was known as "Colgan of the White Head," from this personal peculiarity. The French Blancheteste is synonymous. 2. Local: "the white promontory."

Patronymica Britannica (1860) by Mark Antony Lower

Gray haired.

The Origin and Signification of Scottish Surnames (1862) by Clifford Stanley Sims (1839-1896)

Whytehead Last Name Facts

Where Does The Last Name Whytehead Come From? nationality or country of origin

Whytehead is found in England more than any other country/territory. It can also appear as a variant:. Click here for other potential spellings of this last name.

How Common Is The Last Name Whytehead? popularity and diffusion

This surname is the 2,635,433rd most commonly used last name world-wide, held by around 1 in 134,954,554 people. The last name Whytehead is mostly found in Europe, where 65 percent of Whytehead reside; 39 percent reside in Northern Europe and 39 percent reside in British Isles.

The last name Whytehead is most prevalent in England, where it is held by 20 people, or 1 in 2,785,903. In England it is mostly found in: Surrey, where 40 percent are found, Dorset, where 20 percent are found and Hampshire, where 10 percent are found. Excluding England Whytehead exists in 6 countries. It is also found in Belgium, where 26 percent are found and The United States, where 15 percent are found.

Whytehead Family Population Trend historical fluctuation

The occurrence of Whytehead has changed through the years. In England the number of people bearing the Whytehead surname declined 26 percent between 1881 and 2014 and in The United States it expanded 133 percent between 1880 and 2014.

Whytehead Last Name Statistics demography

Whytehead earn less than half the average income. In United States they earn 74.51% less than the national average, earning $11,000 USD per year.

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Footnotes

  • Surnames are taken as the first part of an person's inherited family name, caste, clan name or in some cases patronymic
  • Descriptions may contain details on the name's etymology, origin, ethnicity and history. They are largely reproduced from 3rd party sources; diligence is advised on accepting their validity - more information
  • Name distribution statistics are generated from a global database of over 4 billion people - more information
  • Heatmap: Dark red means there is a higher occurrence of the name, transitioning to light yellow signifies a progressively lower occurrence. Clicking on selected countries will show mapping at a regional level
  • Rank: Name are ranked by incidence using the ordinal ranking method; the name that occurs the most is assigned a rank of 1; name that occur less frequently receive an incremented rank; if two or more name occur the same number of times they are assigned the same rank and successive rank is incremented by the total preceeding names
  • Ethnic group cannot necessarily be determined by geographic occurrence
  • Similar: Names listed in the "Similar" section are phonetically similar and may not have any relation to Whytehead
  • To find out more about this surname's family history, lookup records on Family​Search, My​Heritage, FindMyPast and Ancestry. Further information may be obtained by DNA analysis