Surname Musselwhite - Meaning and Origin
all surnames with 'M'
Musselwhite: What does the surname Musselwhite mean?
The last name Musselwhite is of English origin and carries several possible meanings. One possibility is that it is derived from a combination of the Old English words "Mussel", meaning mussel, and "hwit", meaning white; thus, Musselwhite could refer to someone living near mussel beds that had white-colored shells.
Alternatively, Musselwhite could be an occupational surname meaning "mussel harvester". This could have been applied to someone living near a body of water which had an abundant supply of mussels. People who worked in this profession would often spend time gathering mussels to take advantage of their availability.
There is also the possibility that Musselwhite is derived from the occupational surname "Muscellehuyte", which referred to a person who made mussel shells into things such as buttons.
The Musselwhite family coat of arms can often be found with a shield bearing three intertwined silver mussels on a sky blue background. This indicates the importance of mussels to the Musselwhite surname, and how it became associated with the people who bore it.
In general, the last name Musselwhite carries a wealth of meanings and stands for the generations upon generations of those who worked with and around mussels.
Order DNA origin analysisMusselwhite: Where does the name Musselwhite come from?
Today, the last name Musselwhite is most commonly found in the United States of America. It is likely a name of English origins as it is believed to have originated in the coastal town of Whitby in the north east of England. The name can be traced back to the mid-1600s when Thomas Musselwhite and Elizabeth Croudson were recorded to have been married in Scarborough, roughly 15 miles from Whitby.
The name spread through England and Wales before coming to the United States and other countries such as Canada, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand. In the U.S., the population of individuals with the last name Musselwhite was estimated to be 6,142 in the year 2000. In this time, 8% of all the people in the U.S. with the last name Musselwhite were residing in Tennessee, followed by Arkansas and North Carolina, at 7% each.
Today, those with the Musselwhite last name can be found in small numbers across the United States, though the majority of individuals with this name live in the south east of the country.
Variations of the surname Musselwhite
Musselwhite is a surname of English origin. It originates from Middle English mussel meaning “small fish” and whit meaning “white”. It can be spelled in various ways such as Musselwhit, Musslewhite, Musklewhite, Musselwhitee and Mouslewhite.
Variants of this surname are derived from variations of the surname itself, as well as patronymic and toponymic surnames taken from locations or names of ancestors. Mussell, Musselman, Musselmann and Mussleman are some of the variations of the surname Musselwhite.
Musselman is a German variant, which was originally derived from the Middle High German word mosel meaning “small fish”. This variant is most likely found in West and Central Germany.
Musselmann is another German variant of Musselwhite, and is derived from Middle High German moselo meaning “small fish”. It is found mainly in the Elztal area of Germany.
Musselle is an English variant derived from the Middle English misel and is found mainly in the counties of Essex, Gloucestershire, Hertfordshire, Kent and Sussex in England.
Mousle is an English variant derived from the Old French musil meaning “small fish”. It is generally found in the county of Hertfordshire in England.
There are other variants of the surname Musselwhite that are derived from non-English origins such as Muschinsky and Muschinski which are derived from Polish Muszyński.
Famous people with the name Musselwhite
- Charlie Musselwhite: An American blues harmonica player, guitarist, and singer, Charlie Musselwhite is one of the most well-known blues artists of the late 20th century. His most famous songs include "Cairo Blues," "Too Many Drivers," and "Mississippi Blues."
- Stacy Musselwhite: An American actress, Stacy Musselwhite is best known for her lead role in the horror film, GhostLight. She has also had roles in other films such as Moratorium, F the Prom and Big Sky.
- Otis Taylor: An American blues musician, Otis Taylor is a second-generation blues artist who plays a unique style of banjo-blues known as trance-blues. He has released numerous highly acclaimed albums such as White African, When Negroes Walked the Earth, and Contraband.
- Kyle Musselwhite: Kyle Musselwhite is an American professional motocross racer. He won the 2016 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship after an impressive series of races.
- Al Musselwhite: Al Musselwhite was a professional football player in the 1950s and 1960s. He spent most of his career playing for the San Diego Chargers. He was named an All-Pro defensive back in 1962.
- Chuck Musselwhite: Chuck Musselwhite was a professional American football player in the late 1950s and early 1960s. He was an All-American defensive lineman at UCLA and played for the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams.
- Candace Musselwhite: Candace Musselwhite is an American singer-songwriter. She released her debut album, Live at the Wolf Records, in 2017 and has performed extensively throughout the United States. She is also a member of the band Jessie Mae Hemphill & The Mississippi Sheiks.