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Show ContentsWhyte History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Whyte Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI
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Etymology of Whyte

What does the name Whyte mean?

The distinguished surname Whyte came from England to Ireland in several different waves, beginning with the Anglo-Norman invasion of the 12th century. As an Irish name, this name has been used as a translation of various Gaelic names incorporating the Gaelic word, "bán," which means "white."

Early Origins of the Whyte family

The surname Whyte was first found in Ireland after the Anglo-Norman invasion of the 12th century, when Walter Whyte is known to have come to Ireland with 'Strongbow'. The earliest bearers of this name settled mostly in counties Down and Sligo (Irish: Sligeach), in the province of Connacht in Northwestern Ireland, where their names became MacWhite, MacFaoitigh, de Faoite and the like.

One of the earliest records of the family was Richard White (died 1367), an Irish judge who held office as Lord Chief Justice of Ireland. He was born at Clongill, near Navan in County Meath where the White family owned Clongill Castle until the seventeenth century.

Early History of the Whyte family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Whyte research. Another 126 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1213, 1414, 1572, 1575, 1584, 1648, 1738, 1820, 1835, 1863, 1893 and 1912 are included under the topic Early Whyte History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Whyte Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Whyte, Wight, Whight, White, MacWhite, MacFaoitigh and many more.

Early Notables of the Whyte family

Another 42 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Whyte Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Whyte World Ranking

In the United States, the name Whyte is the 4,460th most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. 1 However, in Australia, the name Whyte is ranked the 595th most popular surname with an estimated 6,567 people with that name. 2 And in New Zealand, the name Whyte is the 353rd popular surname with an estimated 1,811 people with that name. 3 The United Kingdom ranks Whyte as 623rd with 10,587 people. 4

Whyte migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Whyte Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Daniel Whyte, who landed in Charleston, South Carolina in 1813 5
  • Nicholas Whyte, aged 30, who landed in St Louis, Missouri in 1840 5
  • Frederich Whyte, aged 26, who arrived in St Louis, Missouri in 1842 5
  • Joseph Whyte, who landed in Charleston, South Carolina in 1845 5
  • Agnes Bryson Whyte, who arrived in Georgia in 1853 5
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Whyte migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Whyte Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Thomas Whyte, (b. 1793), aged 22, English master mariner who was convicted in Edinburgh, Scotland for 14 years, transported aboard the "Baring" in April 1815, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1826 6
  • Mr. John Whyte, Scottish convict who was convicted in Glasgow, Scotland for 14 years, transported aboard the "Asia" on 19th November 1827, settling in New South Wales, Australia 7
  • Mr. Andrew Whyte, (b. 1796), aged 35, Scottish farm labourer who was convicted in Glasgow, Scotland for 14 years, transported aboard the "Exmouth" on 3rd March 1831, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 8
  • Mr. James Whyte, Scottish convict who was convicted in Perth, Scotland for 7 years, transported aboard the "Elphinstone" on 28th July 1842, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 9
  • Mary Whyte, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Forfarshire" in 1848 10
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Whyte migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Whyte Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Thomas Whyte, Scottish settler travelling from Glasgow aboard the ship "Jura" arriving in Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 23rd September 1858 11
  • Mrs. Whyte, Scottish settler travelling from Glasgow with 5 children aboard the ship "Jura" arriving in Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 23rd September 1858 11
  • Miss Elizabeth Whyte, Scottish settler travelling from Glasgow aboard the ship "Jura" arriving in Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 23rd September 1858 11
  • Mr. William Whyte, Scottish settler travelling from Leith aboard the ship 'Melbourne' arriving in Port Chalmers, Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 18th March 1861 11
  • Miss Catherine Whyte, Scottish settler travelling from Glasgow aboard the ship "Storm Cloud" arriving in Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 30th July 1861 12
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Whyte (post 1700) +

  • Ronald McLeod Whyte (1942-2023), American jurist, Senior judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of California (2009-2023)
  • Joe Whyte (b. 1961), American actor and voice actor
  • Scott Whyte (b. 1978), American actor
  • Ronald Melville Whyte (1941-1989), American playwright, critic, and disability rights activist
  • William Hollingsworth "Holly" Whyte (1917-1999), American urbanist, organizational analyst, journalist
  • Zack Whyte (1898-1967), American jazz bandleader
  • Jack Whyte (1940-2021), Scottish-born, Canadian novelist of historical fiction who had been living in Canada since 1967
  • Mr. Melvin Robert David Whyte M.B.E., British Corporal, recipient of Member of the Order of the British Empire on 8th June 2018 13
  • Mr. Thomas Alxander Whyte M.B.E., British Corporal for Intelligence Corps, recipient of Member of the Order of the British Empire on 8th June 2018 13
  • Samuel Whyte (1733-1811), English school-master and author, natural son of Captain Solomon Whyte, Deputy-Governor of the Tower of London 14
  • ... (Another 16 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Empress of Ireland
  • Mrs. Mary Whyte (1886-1914), née Knox Canadian Second Class Passenger from New Westminster, British Columbia, Canada who was traveling aboard the Empress of Ireland and died in the sinking 15
  • Miss Jennie Whyte (1913-1914), Canadian Second Class Passenger from New Westminster, British Columbia, Canada who was traveling aboard the Empress of Ireland and died in the sinking 15
Vimy Ridge
  • Frank Langley Whyte (1897-1917), Canadian clerk, Private in the 44th Battalion from Manitoba who died at Vimy Ridge April 1917

The Whyte Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Echel agus coruic
Motto Translation: The axle and coryg.
  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. "Most Common Last Names in Australia." Forebears, https://forebears.io/australia/surnames
  3. "Most Common Last Names in New Zealand." Forebears, https://forebears.io/new-zealand/surnames
  4. "UK surname ranking." UK Surname map, https://www.surnamemap.eu/unitedkingdom/surnames_ranking.php?p=10
  5. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  6. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 16th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/baring
  7. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 8th January 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/asia/1827
  8. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 25th May 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/exmouth
  9. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 23rd March 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/elphinstone
  10. State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) FORFARSHIRE 1848. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1848Forfarshire.htm
  11. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  12. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  13. "Birthday and New Year Honours Lists (1940 to 2019)." Issue 62507, 28 December 2018 | London Gazette, The Gazette, Dec. 2018, www.thegazette.co.uk/honours-lists
  14. Wikisource contributors. "Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900." Wikisource . Wikisource , 4 Jun. 2018. Web. 30 Jan. 2019
  15. Commemoration Empress of Ireland 2014. (Retrieved 2014, June 17) . Retrieved from http://www.empress2014.ca/seclangen/listepsc1.html

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