Whitney
/ˈwɪtni/noun
A given name and surname derived from an English place name, and the name of several places in England and elsewhere.
Did you know?The original Whitney in Herefordshire was probably an island or riverside settlement, showing how many modern surnames preserve ancient landscapes that no longer look the same.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
Proto-Germanic
*hwītaz
“White or bright; the ancestral source of the first element.”
Old English
Old English
hwīt
“White or shining.”
Old English
Old English
ēg
“An island or piece of land surrounded by water.”
11th Century
Old English
Hwītan ēg
“Hwīta’s island, or possibly the white island; the place-name associated with Whitney in Herefordshire.”
12th–13th Century
Middle English
Witeneye / Wytney
“Developing spellings of the English place-name.”
14th Century onward
English
Whitney
“A hereditary surname taken from the place-name, later also used as a given name.”