(Dutch, German) The light-haired or light-complexioned man.

The surname White derives from the Old English word ‘Hwit’ meaning the colour white. This name would thus have originated as a nickname, given say, to someone who had a white or fair complexion or hair, and it came to be a Christian name too.

Another, rarer, derivation is from the name Wight. This also is a nickname, but from the Old Norse, and means ‘valiant, strong, nimble’. It is possible, but unlikely, that some instances of Wight may have been taken from the place-name form, for someone who came from the Isle of Wight.

Another, very rare, derivation of the surname White is as a place name for someone who came from the village of White. There are two such villages. One is in Huntingdonshire (where the name derives from the Old English for ‘a bend in the river’), and the other is in Devon (where the name derives from the Old French for ‘a look-out place’).

There are innumerable variations of the original name White. The most widespread of these are Whyte, Witt (which as Witte is the Dutch form) and Witts. These gave rise to Whiteson, Whitesmith (an occupational name for a tinsmith, tin being traditionally white), Whiter (an occupational name from the Old English for a whitewasher). And there are numerous surnames such as Whitehall, Whitelaw, etc., which are derived from place names and objects containing White-. Whitebread, however, is a nickname-‘white beard’.

The name White was well established in this country long before the Norman Conquest, and even rose in popularity when the Normans arrived. The first reference to the surname White appears in the pre-Conquest annals for Herefordshire, where one Purcil Hwita was listed in 1038.

The Bank of England, in Threadneedle Street, is haunted by a ghost known as the Black Nun, who wanders dismally about the Bank garden, formerly an old churchyard. She is said to be Sarah Whitehead, whose brother Philip was a Bank employee arrested for forging cheques in 1811 and condemned to death. Sarah went mad with grief and for the next 25 years journeyed daily to the Bank looking for her brother. She was buried in the adjacent churchyard, and has reputedly been sighted many times since.

America’s highest peak, Mount Whitney in Southern California, is named in honour of geologist Josiah Whitney.

Lord Mayors of London have included many Whites: Richard Whytyngdone (1397, 1406, 1419), William White (1489), Thomas Whyte (1553), John Whyte (1563), Sir Thomas White (1876) and James Whitehead (1888).

Whitworth Standard screw threads are named after Sir Joseph Whitworth, the British mechanical engineer of tool-making fame.

The White House, official residence of US Presidents at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, acquired its name when a coat of white paint was hurridly slapped on to cover scorch marks incurred during the War of 1812, when the British stormed Washington.

White’s, the noted gentlemen’s club in St James’s, London, was established in 1693 as a chocolate-house, and named after its proprietor.

As a colour-related surname White has remarkable representation both in terms of place names and geographic features all over the world. No fewer than 77 United Kingdom towns and cities are namesakes. These range from Whiteabbey to Whitewreath and include the colourfully named Whitechurch Canonicorum. Great Britain also has rivers called the Whiteadder Water and the White Esk, and a White Coomb mountain. Canada has 13 name-related towns. The United States has 78, which range from White Bird to Whitewright and include a number that reflect on life in the midst of the Indians, such as Whiteface and White Settlement. Australia has a White Mark and a White Well, New Zealand a White Rock hill, while South Africa has towns called Whites and Whitesands. There are many White mountains, being so named for the presence of year-round snow. White and White Water rivers are often so called because they run swiftly and create white water.

With about 204,000 namesakes White is the 12th most popular surname in England and Wales. There are over 10,000 Whites in Scotland where it is 71st in popularity. In Ireland it is estimated that with about 14,000, White is the 12th most popular surname. White is notably popular in and around Bristol where an estimated one in about 240 families bears the name. Around the world Whites are most common in Canberra (one in 377 families), Sydney (one in 414) and Melbourne (one in 416). The United States has more Whites than the entire population of Liverpool-an estimated total of just over 668,000 makes this their 15th most popular surname.