Whitney is an Old English surname that derives from the location of Whitney in Herefordshire, England. It was first mentioned in the Domesday Book with the spelling Witenie. The most plausible meaning for the name is White Water, from the Anglo-Saxon hwit (white) and ey (water), and probably refers to the River Wye which runs through the area and which can become a torrent when heavy rains in the Welsh mountains cause it to swell. This surname has also been used as a first name for both males and females, and many locations around the world have been named Whitney after individuals with this name.
Whitney Family Coat of Arms. (From S. Whitney Phoenix, The Whitney Family of Connecticut (New York: privately printed, 1878), vol. 1, frontispiece (courtesy of Bev Hanner).)
Whitney refer to
- Adeline Dutton Train Whitney, American writer
- Amos Whitney, American mechanical engineer and inventor
- Arthur Whitney, American computer scientist, developer of the K programming language
- Asa Whitney, American businessman and railroad visionary
- Benson Whitney, American businessman and ambassador
- Betsey Cushing Roosevelt Whitney, American social figure
- Carl Whitney, American Negro League baseball player
- Chris Whitney, American basketball player
- Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney, American financier and horse breeder, son of Harry Payne Whitney
- Courtney Whitney, American lawyer and Army commander during World War II and the occupation of Japan
- Dan Whitney, American comedian also known as Larry the Cable Guy
- Dorothy Payne Whitney, American heiress and philanthropist, daughter of William C. Whitney
- Edward Baldwin Whitney, American judge and political organizer
- Eli Whitney, American inventor of the cotton gin
- Elizabeth Whitney, American politician
- Elizabeth Ann Whitney, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints leader, wife of Newel Kimball Whitney
- Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney, American social figure, wife of Harry Payne Whitney
- Glayde Whitney, American geneticist
- Grace Lee Whitney, American actress
- Harry Payne Whitney, American businessman and thoroughbred horsebreeder, son of William C. Whitney
- Hassler Whitney, American mathematician, one of the founders of singularity theory
- James Whitney, Canadian politician
- James Whitney, filmmaker
- James Pounder Whitney, British church historian
- Joan Whitney, American heiress Joan Whitney Payson
- John Whitney, American computer animator
- John "Charlie" Whitney, British guitarist
- John Hay Whitney, American financier and ambassador, son of Payne Whitney
- Jon Whitney, American DJ and web developer
- Josiah Whitney, American geologist, chief of the California Geological Survey (1860-1874), for whom Mount Whitney is named
- Marva Whitney, American funk singer
- Mary Watson Whitney, American astronomer
- Marylou Whitney, American horseracing figure, widow of Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney
- Morgan Whitney, Australian cricketer
- Newel Kimball Whitney, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints leader
- Orson F. Whitney, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints leader
- Pauline Payne Whitney, American heiress, daughter of William C. Whitney
- Payne Whitney, American businessman, son of William C. Whitney
- Phyllis A. Whitney, American mystery writer
- Ray Whitney, British politician
- Ray Whitney, Canadian ice hockey player
- Rich Whitney, American politician
- Richard Whitney, American financier
- Robert A. Whitney, American public health official
- Ryan Whitney, American ice hocker player
- William C. Whitney, American politician and financier, founder of the Whitney family, prominent in business and racing
- William Dwight Whitney, American grammarian and lexicographer
- Willis Rodney Whitney, American scientist
See also
- Whitney Research Group - an informal group of individuals interested in the scholarly research of Whitney families around the world and throughout history.
- Whitney
- Whitley
- List of Old English (Anglo-Saxon) surnames
