Whiting

This interesting surname, of Anglo-Saxon origin, is a patronymic from the Olde English pre 7th Century "Hwita" meaning "the white one". The surname first appears in the late 11th Century and has a number of variant forms ranging from Whiteing, and Whitting to Witting. Recordings of the name include: John Witinge (1128 - 1134) in the Cartularium Monasterii, and William Whiting (1197) in the Pipe Rolls of Buckinghamshire. Church Records show Rachell, daughter of Roger Whiting, who was christened on May 28th 1579 in St. Thomas the Apostle, London, and Sara, daughter of Robert Whiting, who was christened on December 15th 1605 in St. Andrew Undershaft, London. John Whiting, aged 22 yrs., a famine emigrant, sailed from Liverpool aboard the "Isabella", bound for New York on September 11th 1846. A Coat of Arms granted to the Whiting family depicts a leopard's gold face between two flaunches ermine, and in chief three plates, on a blue shield. The Crest is a demi eagle displayed with two heads proper. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Roger Witenc, which was dated 1084, in the "Geld Roll of Somerset", during the reign of King William 1, known as "The Conqueror", 1066 - 1087. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.