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Whittaker Surname Origin
(Locality). The north part of a graveyard allotted to the poor was called whittaker, from wite, a penalty, and acre,--a place of burial for criminals. A culprit who could not discharge the penalty or wite became a 'witetheow,' and was buried in the wite-acre. Bailey defines Whittaker 'the north-east part of a flat or shoal--the middle ground.'
Surname Variations:
Source: An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names With an Essay on their Derivation and Import; Arthur, William, M.A.; New York, NY: Sheldon, Blake, Bleeker & CO., 1857.
Whittaker Surname Meaning and Family Facts
Whittaker Last Name Meaning
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A Whittaker Family History Thought:
'In all of us there is a hunger, marrow-deep, to know our heritage - to know who we are and where we have come from. Without this enriching knowledge, there is a hollow yearning. No matter what our attainments in life, there is still a vacuum. An emptiness. And the most disquieting loneliness.' --Alex Haley