WHITEHEAD 1452
Although probably originating as a nickname the Whiteheads are heavily concentrated in Lancashire and the West Riding of Yorkshire. There were 20,256 Whiteheads in the 1881 census, 20% living in Saddleworth and the adjoining parishes of Oldham, Ashton, Rochdale and Huddersfield. see Archer Surname Atlas
The early references to the name are widely dispersed, as would be expected for a nickname: in Huntingdonshire, in the year 1273, in Hampshire in the time of King Richard II (circa 1377-1399). The Whitehead family DNA Project confirms that there are several Whitehead families and that the Saddleworth / Marsden is distinct belonging to the I-M223 haplogroup.
Notable Whiteheads
John Whitehead architect & consul in Oporto
Ralph Radcliffe Whitehead founder of Woodstock Arts & Crafts colony
More to come
