When Nathaniel White was born on 7 March 1885, in Crenshaw, Alabama, United States, his father, Claiborne White, was 35 and his mother, Sarah Jane Bodiford, was 22. He died on 10 March 1885, in his hometown, at the age of 0, and was buried in United States.
Do you know Nathaniel? Do you have a story about him that you would like to share? Sign In or Create a FREE Account
English: from Middle English white, wit (Old English hwīt ‘white’), hence a nickname for someone with white hair or a pale complexion. In some cases it is perhaps from a Middle English survival of the Old English personal name Hwīta, a short form of names in Hwīt- (from hwīt ‘white’). The name may also be topographic, referring to someone who lived by a bend or curve in a river or road (from Old English wiht ‘bend’), the source of the placename of Great Whyte in Ramsey, Huntingdonshire (compare Wight ). This name is also a variant of Wight . The surname White is also very common among African Americans.
Irish and Scottish: adopted for any of several Irish and Scottish Gaelic names based on bán ‘white, fair’ (see Bain 1, McElwain ) or fionn ‘fair’ (see Finn 1). The English surname has been Gaelicized in Ireland as de Faoite.
Americanized form (translation into English) of various European surnames meaning ‘white’, for example German Weiss , French Blanc , Polish Białas (see Bialas ), Slovenian Belec , or any other synonymous Slavic surname beginning with Bel-, Bev-, Biel- or Bil-.
Dictionary of American Family Names © Patrick Hanks 2003, 2006.
Possible Related NamesAs a nonprofit, we offer free help to those looking to learn the details of their family story.