The surname Whitten, Whitton or later Whiton, dates back to the earliest periods of recorded history in England. The surname means "one who comes from Whitton(en)," but the Meaning of the name itself means "dweller at Hwita's farm or homestead" being compound of Whit (from the old English personal name of Hwita) and the popular suffix "ten" or "ton." The suffix "ten," "ton." or "tun" is one of the most common place name suffixes found as a part of English surnames.

Whitten's and Whitton's are found in England, Ireland and Scotland.

Whitten's are commonly found in Ireland, specifically Ulster. Whitten's in Ulster Ireland from the last two centuries to the present are found primarily in the counties of Armagh and Londonderry.

Whitton is the name of several places in England including Lincoln, Durham, Hereford, Northumberland, Salop, and Suffolk.

The surname Whitton appears in Scotland as early as 1165, when persons evidently derived their surname form the lands of Whitton in Morebattle Parish, Roxburyshire so it can be seen that the name spread throughout the British Isles.

Whitten's and Whitton's who emigrated to North America settled primarily in many of the Southern and Plains States as well as Maine, New Brunswick and Quebec, Canada.

Variations of the names include Whiten, Whiton, Whidden, Whiddon, Whytton, Whyton, Whiting, Witten and Witton.

The Whitten family seems to have come from the yoemanry class of England, the middle class, neither nobility nor the rudest peasant. The emigrants to America likely came , not so much because of religious or political persecution, but because of a desire to improve their lot in life. They expected to gain advantages which would be impossible for them to attain in England.

The family has been imbued with a pioneering spirit, pushing ever westward, and its members are now scattered from the Atlantic to the Pacific.

Courtesy of:
"The Whitten and Allied Families Genealogy" by William C. Whitten (1985)

and "The Surnames of Scotland" by George F. Black.