Whitteridge Family History

From the Middle English personal name Withrich Withrik (Old English Wihtrīc from wiht ‘sprite creature’ + rīc ‘power realm’). Spellings with -rich (later -ridge) reflect the nominative form of the personal name while those with -rick derive from the [k] of inflected forms in Old English. For the variation see Seltén Anglo-Saxon Heritage 1 pp. 142-3 and compare Baldrick and Baldridge.

From one of the three places named Whitrigg in Cumb or perhaps also from Wheatridge in Earsdon (Northumb) recorded as Whytrig i.e. with final -g in 1296. The place-names all mean ‘white ridge’; the latter is Old English; the former three include Old Scandinavian hryggr ‘ridge’ but spellings in -rik are also found.

Some forms in -dge may belong with (1) but may also be from a form of Whitrigg with excrescent -s. In later centuries the two names (1) and (2) may have become confused.