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Irish surname

White: Irish Surname History & Coat of Arms

de Faoit, de Faoite · Norman 'le White', i.e. 'the white, of fair complexion'

Woulfe (1923) gives White and Whyte as anglicised forms of de Faoit or de Faoite, from Norman 'le White', the name of an Anglo-Norman family who came to Ireland at the time of the invasion. He also gives White as a translation of other Irish names, such as Mac Giolla Bháin and Ó Banáin, and prints White among the forms of Ó Gealagáin. In 1890, Matheson counts 291 White and Whyte birth entries in Ireland.

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Coat of arms associated with the White surname
Irish formde Faoit, de Faoite
MeaningNorman 'le White', i.e. 'the white, of fair complexion'
CountiesAntrim, Cork, Dublin, Wexford
Other spellings2
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White crest gifts

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Origin of the White name

Woulfe: de Faoit, de Faoite, 'Norman le White, le Whyte, i.e. the white, of fair complexion'; 'the name of an Anglo-Norman family who came to Ireland at the time of the invasion'. 'There are several respectable families of the name, which is common in all parts of Ireland.' White is also printed 'by translation' under several Irish names.[1]

  1. 1392Four Masters: Seffin White, who had engaged Niall O'Neill in single combat, was slain by him.[8]
  2. 1469Four Masters: Patrick White, aided by O'Neill and Mac Quillin, assumed the lordship of Lecale.[9]
  3. 1811Samuel White, Dublin schoolmaster who taught Richard Brinsley Sheridan, dies aged 78 (Webb).[11]
  4. 1824Luke White, Dublin bookseller and member of the Imperial Parliament, dies in London (Webb).[10]
  5. 1890291 White and Whyte birth entries in Ireland (269 spelled White, 22 Whyte).[6]

Where in Ireland

Co. AntrimMatheson 1890: 'chiefly in Antrim, Cork, Dublin, and Wexford'.[6]
Co. CorkMatheson 1890: 'chiefly in Antrim, Cork, Dublin, and Wexford'.[6]
Co. DublinMatheson 1890: 'chiefly in Antrim, Cork, Dublin, and Wexford'.[6]
Co. WexfordMatheson 1890: 'chiefly in Antrim, Cork, Dublin, and Wexford'.[6]
Co. SligoWoulfe: Mac Giolla Bháin family of Ui Fiachrach in Sligo; 'the name was always made White in English'.[2]

Notable people named White

Luke Whited. 1824Dublin bookseller and publisher who sat in the Imperial Parliament for Leitrim; died in London 25 February 1824.[10]
Samuel White1733–1811Dublin schoolmaster who opened a school in Grafton Street in 1758; his pupils included Richard Brinsley Sheridan.[11]
Stephen White, D.D.17th centuryIrish Jesuit, living in June 1645; credited by Dr Reeves with copying Irish manuscripts on the Continent.[12]

Other spellings

Whyte · Whight[1][6]

Scottish connection

Woulfe says of Mac Giolla Bháin: 'It is also a Scottish surname, usually anglicised MacIlvaine, but sometimes Whyte.'[2]

The White coat of arms

The design shown is a coat of arms associated with the White surname. In Irish and British heraldry a coat of arms is granted to one person and passes to their heirs; it does not belong to everyone who shares the surname. Many families still use the arms of their name as a symbol of their heritage.

White surname: questions

Is White an Irish surname?

Woulfe gives White and Whyte as the Norman name 'le White' (de Faoit), borne by an Anglo-Norman family who came to Ireland at the time of the invasion. He also gives White as a translation of several Irish names.[1][2]

What does the surname White mean?

Woulfe glosses Norman 'le White' as 'the white, of fair complexion'. Bán, one of the Irish names for which White is sometimes a translation, is glossed 'fair, white'.[1][5]

Which Irish names were translated as White?

Woulfe prints White 'by translation' under Bán, Mac Giolla Bháin and Ó Banáin, and lists White among the forms of Ó Gealagáin. He says the Sligo Mac Giolla Bháin family's name 'was always made White in English', and Ó Gealagáin was 'originally a Sligo surname'.[5][2][3][4]

Where in Ireland is White found?

Matheson's 1890 birth index records White 'in every county in Ireland—chiefly in Antrim, Cork, Dublin, and Wexford'.[6]

Sources

  1. de Faoit, de Faoite — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/d/de-faoit-de-faoite.php
  2. Mac Giolla Bháin — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/macg/mac-giolla-bhain.php
  3. Ó Banáin — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/ob/o-banain.php
  4. Ó Gealagáin — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/og/o-gealagain.php
  5. Bán — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/b/ban.php
  6. White — Birth Indexes of 1890 — Special Report on Surnames in Ireland (Robert E. Matheson, 1909), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/matheson/report/births/white.php
  7. White — Varieties and Synonymes of Surnames and Christian Names in Ireland (Robert E. Matheson, 1901), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/matheson/varieties/list/2049.php
  8. Annals of the Four Masters (trans. John O'Donovan), 1392 — CELT edition, CELT, University College Cork. celt.ucc.ie/published/T100005D/text002.html
  9. Annals of the Four Masters (trans. John O'Donovan), 1469 — CELT edition, CELT, University College Cork. celt.ucc.ie/published/T100005D/text010.html
  10. White, Luke — A Compendium of Irish Biography (Alfred Webb, 1878), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/biography/LukeWhite.php
  11. White, Samuel — A Compendium of Irish Biography (Alfred Webb, 1878), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/biography/SamuelWhite.php
  12. White, Stephen, D.D. — A Compendium of Irish Biography (Alfred Webb, 1878), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/biography/StephenWhiteDD.php

Note: Matheson's 1890 figures for a surname include its spelling varieties (Matheson, Table Explanation).