Whitney

English

Etymology

From Old English hwītan, dative of hwīt (“white”) + īeġ (“island”), "white island".

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (wine–whine merger) /ˈwɪtni/, (without the wine–whine merger) /ˈʍɪtni/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

Proper noun

Whitney

1. A habitational surname from Middle English.
2. A female given name transferred from the surname, popular in the 1980s and 1990s due to the fame of Whitney Houston.
   • 1993, James Crumley, The Mexican Tree Duck, Picador, published 1994, →ISBN, page 138:

     "I don't believe I've ever known a woman named 'Whitney'," I said, trying not to look too deeply into her bright blue eyes. "Or, hell, even a man for that matter."
     "You've never heard of Whitney Houston?"
     "Who's that?" I said, realizing that I had never gotten really serious about a woman with blue eyes.

3. A male given name from surname
4. A census-designated place in Clark County, Nevada, United States.

Derived terms

• Mount Whitney
• Whitney-on-Wye