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Whittle Family History

Whittle Surname Meaning

English: habitational name from Whittle (Lancashire, Northumberland), Whittle le Woods (Lancashire), or a topographic name for someone who lived ‘(by the) white hill’ from Middle English whit(te) ‘white’ + hil(le) ‘hill’.

Alternatively, a topographic name for someone who lived ‘(by the) clear spring or stream’ from Middle English whit(te) + wel(la) wel(l)e ‘spring, stream’.

Occasionally, this name may have been confused with Whitehall.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


Similar surnames: 

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Where is the Whittle family from?

You can see how Whittle families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Whittle family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Whittle families were found in United Kingdom in 1891. In 1911 there were 90 Whittle families living in Ontario. This was about 48% of all the recorded Whittle's in Canada. Ontario had the highest population of Whittle families in 1911.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Whittle surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
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What did your Whittle ancestors do for a living?

In 1921, Farmer and Income were the top reported jobs for men and women in the Canada named Whittle. 44% of Whittle men worked as a Farmer and 50% of Whittle women worked as an Income. Some less common occupations for Americans named Whittle were Engineer and Housekeeper.

View Census Data for Whittle | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Male Occupations In 1921

  • Farmer
    44%
  • Labourer
    13%
  • Laborer
    9%
  • Engineer
    8%

Top Female Occupations In 1921

  • Income
    50%
  • Housekeeper
    50%

What Whittle family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 130,000 census records available for the last name Whittle. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Whittle census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search Canadian census records for Whittle

Passenger Lists

There are 20,000 immigration records available for the last name Whittle. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in Canada, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Whittle immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 15,000 military records available for the last name Whittle. For the veterans among your Whittle ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Whittle military records

You've only scratched the surface of Whittle family history

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What is the average Whittle lifespan?

Between 1941 and 2004, in the United States, Whittle life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1950, and highest in 2004. The average life expectancy for Whittle in 1941 was 42, and 81 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Whittle

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Whittle ancestors lived in harsh conditions. A short lifespan might also indicate health problems that were once prevalent in your family. The SSDI is a searchable database of more than 70 million names. You can find birthdates, death dates, addresses and more.

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