Recorded as Whittack, Whittick, Whitticks, Whittock, and possibly others, this is an English surname. It is almost certainly locational and may be from a place called Whitlock in Warwickshire, or more likely is from a now "lost" medieval village. Some three thousand places are known to have disappeared from the maps and gazetters of England over the past five centuries, leaving as their only reminder any surviving surnames associated with that place. As the surnames themselves have become "detached" from their original homes, spellings have changed, and it is now often difficult or impossible to be certain of the original and correct spelling. Comparison with similar surname and place name spellings suggests that the meaning of this name is possibly "white oak". This is from the pre 7th century a.d. Olde English "whit -oc" and possibly a reference to a particular oak tree used as a boundary post or meeting place. Another possible explanation is as a reference to an area of exposed chalk land, perhaps on a hill top. The name is well recorded in the surviving church registers of the city of London. Examples include John Whittick at St Giles Cripplegate on October 14th 1672, and Thomas Whitticks at St Lukes Chelsea, on May 4th 1800.

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