Whitaker

This article is about the surname. For other uses, see Whitaker (disambiguation). For names with a similar spelling, see Whittaker. For other uses with a similar spelling, see Whittaker (disambiguation).

Whitaker

Pronunciation	English: /ˈwɪtəkə/
Language(s)	English
Origin
Language(s)	English
Word/name	Anglo-Saxon
Derivation	"whit" (white) and "aecer" (cultivated soil)
Meaning	White cultivated soil [1]
Region of origin	England
Other names
Variant form(s)	Whittaker, Whitacre, Quitacre

Whitaker (also Whittaker) is a surname of English and Scottish origin, meaning the white acre, also spelled "Whittaker" and "Whitacre." Notable people with the surname include:

People with the name

• The Whitaker iron family - a family important in the iron and steel industry in 19th and 20th century America
• A. J. Whitaker (Ayana Jean Whitaker; born 1992), American volleyball player
• Alexander Whitaker (1585–1616), American religious leader
• Amoret Whitaker, forensic entomologist
• Ann Whitaker, American physicist
• Anthony Whitaker (1944–2014), New Zealand herpetologist
• Ayton Whitaker (1916–1999), British producer and director of radio, film and television
• Arthur Luther Whitaker (1921–2007), American minister, professor, psychologist, and sociologist
• Benjamin Whitaker (disambiguation)
• Berry Whitaker (1890–1984), American football college coach
• Bill Whitaker (journalist) (born 1951), American television journalist
• Billy Whitaker (1923–1995), English football defender
• Brandon Whitaker (born 1985), Canadian football running back
• Brian Whitaker, British journalist
• Candi Whitaker (born 1980), American college basketball coach
• Carl Whitaker (1912–1985), American therapist
• Carol Whitaker (born 1982), Canadian curler
• Charles Whitaker (c. 1642 – 1715), English politician
• Chico Whitaker (born 1931), Brazilian social-justice advocate
• Chris Whitaker (born 1974), Australian rugby union player
• Colin Whitaker (1932–2015), English football left winger
• Corinne Whitaker (born 1934), American digital artist
• Cuthbert Whitaker (1873–1950), editor of Whitaker's Almanack
• Danny Whitaker (born 1980), English footballer
• Danta Whitaker (born 1964), American football tight end
• David Whitaker (disambiguation), several people
• Denis Whitaker (1915–2001), Canadian general
• Denzel Whitaker (born 1990), American actor
• Deonce Whitaker (born 1978), Canadian football running back
• Duane Whitaker (born 1959), American actor
• Ed Whitaker (1938–2014), American stock car team owner
• Edward Whitaker (1660–1735), Royal Navy officer
• Edward W. Whitaker (1841–1922), Union Army officer during the American Civil War, Medal of Honor recipient
• Ellen Whitaker (born 1986), English show jumping rider
• Elizabeth Raffald (née Whitaker; 1733–1781), English businesswoman, author of The Experienced English Housekeeper cookery book
• Elsie Whitaker Martinez (1890–1984), daughter of Herman Whitaker
• Eric Whitaker (disambiguation)
• Evelyn Whitaker (1844–1929), children's writer
• Ewen Whitaker (1922–2016), British-American astronomer
• Forest Whitaker (born 1961), American actor
• Francis Whitaker (1906–1999), American blacksmith
• Franklin Whitaker (died 1891), American politician
• Frederic Whitaker (1891–1980), American watercolorist
• Frederick Whitaker (disambiguation)
• George Whitaker (disambiguation), several people
• Harold Whitaker (1920–2013), British animator
• Henry Whitaker (c. 1549 – 1589), English politician, Member of Parliament for Westbury (1586–1588)
• Henry Whitaker (c. 1622 – 1695), English lawyer and politician, Member of Parliament for Shaftesbury (1659, 1661–1679)
• Henry C. Whitaker (born 1978), Florida Solicitor General
• Herman Whitaker (1867–1919), American writer
• Hugh Whitaker (born 1961), British rock drummer
• Jack Whitaker (1924–2019), American sportscaster
• James Whitaker (disambiguation)
• Janet Whitaker, Baroness Whitaker (born 1936), British Labour politician
• Jared Whitaker (1818–1884), mayor of Atlanta, Georgia
• Jason Whitaker (born 1977), American football player
• Jeremiah Whitaker (1599–1654), English Puritan clergyman, member of the Westminster Assembly
• Jim Whitaker (Norris J. Whitaker; born 1950), American politician, Mayor of Fairbanks North Star Borough, Alaska (2003–2009)
• Joel Whitaker (1877–1947), physician and college football player and coach
• John Whitaker (disambiguation), several people
• Joseph Whitaker (disambiguation), several people
• Kati Whitaker, British radio and TV journalist
• Kevin Whitaker (born 1957), American diplomat
• Lance Whitaker (born 1971), heavyweight boxer
• Laurence Whitaker (c. 1578 – 1654), English politician
• Lawrence Whitaker (game designer), American role-playing game designer
• Lang Whitaker, American sportswriter
• Lily C. Whitaker (1850–1932), American educator, writer; daughter of Mary Scrimzeour Whitaker
• Lou Whitaker (born 1957), American baseball player
• Lucian "Skippy" Whitaker (1930–1990), American basketball player
• Lyman Whitaker, American sculptor
• Mabel Whitaker (1884–1976), New Zealand teacher and local historian
• Maria do Céu Whitaker Poças, Céu, Brazilian singer
• Marjorie Whitaker (better known as Malachi Whitaker; 1895–1976)
• Mark Whitaker (disambiguation), several people
• Martin Whitaker, British businessman
• Martin D. Whitaker (1902–1960), American physicist
• Matthew Whitaker (disambiguation)
  • Matthew Whitaker, acting U.S. Attorney General (born 1969)
  • Matthew Whitaker (pianist) (born 2001), American jazz pianist
  • Matthew C. Whitaker, American historian
• Mary Scrimzeour Whitaker (1820–1906), American author; mother of Lily C. Whitaker
• Meade Whitaker (1919–2005), United States Tax Court judge
• Michael Whitaker (born 1960), British equestrian rider,
• Mike Whitaker (swimmer) (born 1951), Canadian Olympic swimmer
• Milton C. Whitaker (1870–1963), American chemist
• Neil Whitaker (1931–2008), Australian rules footballer
• Nelson E. Whitaker (1839–1909), President of the West Virginia Senate 1897–1899
• Nick Whitaker (born 1988), American actor
• Norman T. Whitaker (1890–1975), International Master of chess
• O'Kelley Whitaker (1926–2015), bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Central New York (1983–1992)
• Ozi William Whitaker (1830–1911), bishop of the Episcopal Church
• Pat Whitaker (1865–1902), Major League Baseball pitcher
• Paul Whitaker (born 1973), English and New Zealand cricketer
• Pernell Whitaker (1964–2019), American boxer
• Peter Whitaker, English actor
• Phil Whitaker (born 1966), British novelist and physician
• Ray Whitaker, Australian rules footballer
• Richard Whitaker (born 1947), Australian meteorologist
• Richard Whitaker (architect), American Third Bay Tradition architect
• Robert Whitaker (disambiguation), several people
• Rod Whitaker (disambiguation)
• Rogers E. M. Whitaker (1900–1981), editor of The New Yorker magazine
• Romulus Whitaker (born 1943), herpetologist
• Ronyell Whitaker (born 1979), American professional football player
• Rosa Whitaker, American entrepreneur
• Ross T. Whitaker, American engineer
• Ruth Whitaker (1936–2014), American politician
• Samuel Estill Whitaker (1886–1967), Tennessee attorney, mayor of Riverview, Tennessee, and judge of the United States Court of Claims
• Sheila Whitaker (1936–2013), English film programmer and writer
• Slim Whitaker (Charles Orbie Whitaker; 1893–1960), American film actor
• Steve Whitaker (baseball) (born 1943), American baseball player
• Steve Whitaker (1955–2008), British artist
• T. K. Whitaker (1916–2017), Irish economist
• Thomas Bartlett Whitaker (born 1979), American convicted criminal
• Thomas Dunham Whitaker (1759–1821), English clergyman and topographer
• Thomas W. Whitaker (1904–1993), American botanist and horticulturist
• Timothy W. Whitaker (born 1948), Bishop of the United Methodist Church
• Todd Whitaker, American educator, writer, and motivational speaker
• Uncas A. Whitaker (1900–1975), prominent mechanical engineer, electrical engineer, lawyer, entrepreneur, and philanthropist
• Walter C. Whitaker (1823–1887), Union general during the American Civil War
• Wetzel Whitaker (also known as Judge Whitaker; 1908–1985), American Mormon filmmaker
• William Whitaker (disambiguation) (several people)

Fictional characters

• Brad Whitaker, fictional character from the James Bond film The Living Daylights
• Faye Whitaker, fictional character from the webcomic Questionable Content
• John Avery Whitaker, character from the Adventures in Odyssey radio drama
• Dennis Whitaker, fictional character from the American Television show The Pitt

References

1. "Surname Database: Whitaker Last Name Origin". The Internet Surname Database. Retrieved 2025-04-06.