McBride - Bumpus Genealogy

 Anatomy  of  the  " W " Surnames

Origin - Meanings of Surnames beginning with " W "

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                                           W E E K L Y
 
English: variant of Weekley.
English: habitational name from a place in Northamptonshire called Weekley, form Old English wic 'settlement', perhaps in this case a Roman settlement, Latin vicus + leah 'eood', 'dearing'.

                                              W H I T E
 
A name given from the color of the hair, or complexion.  The name may be also  local, derived from the Isle of Wight, on the coast of Hampshire, so called from the Welsh, Gwydd, wood, from its primitive forest.

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                                          W H I T M E R
 
English: variant of Whitmore.
Americanized form of German Wittmeyer.
Whitmore
habitational name from any of various places named Whitmore, for example in Staffordshire, form Old English hwit 'whit' + mor 'moor'.
Some bearers of the name are decended of the name from John of Whytenmere, Shropshire, who lived in the 13th century.  This form is probably a variant of Whittimere, a place on the Staffordshire-Shropshire border, named in Old English most probably as 'pool associated with someone called Hwita'.
Wittmeyer
distinguishing name for a tenant farmer (see Mayer) who lived by a wood or copse (Middle High German wite).
possibly also a variant of Widmeyer.

                                           W I C K L I N E
 
Americanized spelling of German Wicklein.
German from a form of the personal name Wick.
some living in an outlaying settlement dependent on a larger village, Old English Wic (Latin vicus), or place named with this word, examples in Berkshire, Glouce stershire, Somerset, and Worcestershire.  term seems to have been used, in particular, to denote an outlying dairy farm or a salt works.

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                                        W I G G I N T O N
 
English: habitational name from any of the places in Hertfordshire, Oxfordshire, Staffordshire, and North Yorskire named Wigginton, from Old English personal name Wicga + genitive - n or -ing- + tun 'enclosure', 'settlement'.

                                           W I L F O R D
 
English: habitational name fronm either of two places Wilford, in Nottinghamshire and Suffolk, both probably named with an Old English wilig 'willow tree' + Old English ford 'ford'.
Dutch: see Williford.
Americanized form of Dutch and North German Wilfert.
Germanic name composed elements wolf 'wolf' + hart 'hardy', 'brave', 'strong'; Germanic elements wille 'will', 'wish' + fridu 'peace'.
nickname for a wild or wily man, from Middle High German wulven 'to behave like a wolf'.

                                           W I L L I A M S
 
English (also very common in Wales): patronymic from William.
William
Norman form of Old English name composed of Germanic elements wil 'will', 'desire' + helm 'helmet', 'protection'. Introduced into England at the time of the Conquest, in very short period became most popular personal name in England, mainly no doubt in honor of the Conqueror himself.

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                                                W I L S O N
 
The son of William or Will.  See William.

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                                                 W I M E R
 
Altered spelling of English Wymer or German Weimer.     Wymer
Middle English personal name Wymer, Old English Wigm'r (elements wig 'war' + m'r 'famous') reinforced by the cognate Continental Germanic form Wigmar, introduced into England from France by the Normans.  Also became confused with Old Breton personal name, Wiumarch, elements uuiu 'worthy' + march 'horse'.

                                                  W I N A N S
 
Dutch: patronymic from the medevil personal name Winant.
Winant
Dutch: from the medevil personal name Wynant, composed of the Germanic elements wig 'battle', 'fight' + nand 'courage', 'bravery'.

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                                                  W Y N N E
 
English: variant spelling of Wynn.
Old English personal name and byname Wibne meaning 'friend', in part short form of various compound names with this first element.
Welsh: variant of Gwynn.
from gwyn 'light', 'white', 'fair'.  widely used as personal  in Middle Ages.  May be nickname for person with fair hair or a noticeably pale complexion.
Irish: (Connacht): adopted as an English equivalent of gaelic 'O gaoithin 'decendant of Gaoithin' (see Gahan), because Gaelic gaoth also means 'wind', and the English surname Wynne was taken as being related to the English vocabulary word wind.