The Witherspoon surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 13,171 people carried this name — #2,736 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 22,400 people counted. That is up 7% from 12,283 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Witherspoon surname

Scottish habitational surname, perhaps from Middle English wether (“ram”) + spong (“narrow strip of land”).

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Witherspoon» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

In the first U.S. census, 1790

43 families named Witherspoon, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 222 people lived in those households, 5.2 to a family on average. The table counts it together with 6 other spellings. The table lists white heads of families only, in the twelve states whose 1790 records survive; Virginia’s figures come from state lists of 1782–1785.

Families, by state

South Carolina 18
North Carolina 11
New Hampshire 7
Pennsylvania 3
Virginia 3
New York 1

U.S. Census Bureau, «A Century of Population Growth from the First Census of the United States to the Twelfth, 1790–1900» (Washington, 1909), table 111, p. 269 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Witherspoon in American newspapers,
1902–1912.

Newspaper page from The Providence News carrying the name Witherspoon
The Providence News 1902-02-21
Newspaper page from Jamestown Weekly Alert carrying the name Witherspoon
Jamestown Weekly Alert 1902-02-27
Newspaper page from The Pascoag Herald carrying the name Witherspoon
The Pascoag Herald 1912-01-19

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 58,695 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Witherspoon in Australian newspapers,
1840s–1980s.

2,191 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Witherspoon. The most, 519, date from the 1890s. Weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, it stands out most in New South Wales, at 2.3 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 1,686
Queensland 326
Victoria 75
South Australia 44
Western Australia 32
Tasmania 16
ACT (Canberra) 7
Northern Territory 1

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Witherspoon.

Who carried it

People named Witherspoon,
with a public archive behind them.

  • John Witherspoon
    John Witherspoon 1723–1794 · writer
  • America McCutchen Drennan
    America McCutchen Drennan 1830–1903 · teacher
  • Samuel Andrew Witherspoon
    Samuel Andrew Witherspoon 1855–1915 · lawyer
  • John A. Witherspoon
    John A. Witherspoon 1864–1929 · physician
  • Herbert Witherspoon
    Herbert Witherspoon 1873–1935 · opera singer

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 94 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Witherspoon,
in the records of 5 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States753 records

753 records of the Witherspoon name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 385
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 238
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 60
  • New York State death index (outside NYC), 1957–2001 19
  • U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 18
  • Irish Famine arrivals at New York, 1846–1851 11
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 10
  • U.S. service members who died in the Vietnam War 7
  • U.S. service members who died in the Korean War 5
  1. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Johnell Witherspoon

    Born 1941; from Archer, Florida. U.S. Army, aircraft structural repairer; died in service 1970 in Pleiku, South Vietnam. Buried at Shiloh Cemetery, Archer, Florida.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Edward W. Witherspoon

    Born 1924 in Missouri. Enlisted 1943 at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas; farm hand from Greene County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1994, buried at Springfield National Cemetery, Missouri.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Jno Witherspoon

    Arrived at New York in 1847 aboard the Ann Harley from Glasgow, aged 18; farmer. From Great Britain.

    U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain)

Showing 3 of 753 records for Witherspoon in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Australia36 records

36 records of the Witherspoon name in Australia
  • Queensland State Archives indexes 19
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 11
  • NSW convict, estate and railway indexes 5
  • State Library of Western Australia indexes 1
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Jas Witherspoon

    Arrived in Victoria in 1858 aboard the John Owens, aged 22; Scottish.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Robert Witherspoon

    Arrived in Queensland in 1889 aboard the Jumna, aged 25.

    Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Biographical index Jimmy Witherspoon

    Died 1997; obituary published in Western Australia.

    State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 36 records for Witherspoon in Australia.

Counts: Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

Canada9 records

9 records of the Witherspoon name in Canada
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 3
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 3
  • City of Calgary cemetery records 1
  • Ontario immigration records, 1865–1883 1
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 1
  1. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Norman E. Witherspoon

    Buried in 1951 at Burnsland Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.
  2. A Canadian First World War grave register card for a soldier who died of wounds in 1917
    Example: Canadian war grave register, 1917
    War record David Malcolm Witherspoon

    Died in service in 1942.

    Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada.
  3. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Ellen Witherspoon

    Married 1894 in Granville, Annapolis, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.

Showing 3 of 9 records for Witherspoon in Canada.

Counts: Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Canadian First World War circumstances-of-death register (scan by Scottgraham87 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0); Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain).

Netherlands3 records

3 records of the Witherspoon name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch population registers 2
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 1
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record James Robert Witherspoon

    Married in 1929 in Rotterdam.

    Open Archives, Stadsarchief Rotterdam (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Population register James Robert Witherspoon

    In a population register.

    Open Archives, Stadsarchief Rotterdam (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 2 of 3 records for Witherspoon in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain); U.S. census of 1910, Milwaukee (public domain).

United Kingdom2 records

2 records of the Witherspoon name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 1
  • Stirling Council burial records 1
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record May Marion Witherspoon

    Died 2000, aged 71; buried at Dunblane Cemetery, Stirling, Scotland.

    Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  2. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record R. D. Witherspoon

    East Yorkshire Regiment. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Witherspoon.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Witherspoon is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

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