Surname Worthing - Meaning and Origin

Worthing: What does the surname Worthing mean?

The last name Worthing is believed to have Anglo-Saxon origins and refers to someone who hails from a village called Worthing in West Sussex, England. The name is derived from the Old English ‘worþ,’ which means ‘enclosure’.

In its earliest rendering, Worthing referred to a village in Southwest England where enclosures were common and field boundaries were maintained out of necessity. The town was likely named for its enclosures, as evidenced by the local topography and numerous ancient earthworks which still exist there today.

As people began to move away from this small town, the Worthing surname was taken and started to appear in other parts of England. This same surname appears in records all over the world from the 1700s to the present day, indicating that people of Worthing ancestry have grown and moved farther and farther away from the village over the centuries.

Today, the Worthing surname is a symbol of a family’s long and often difficult journey, as they left the comfort of their homeland in search of a better life in unknown places. Many people who bear this surname have experienced success in their lives, a testament to the strength and resilience of the Worthing name and the family’s dedication to making something of themselves wherever they land.

Worthing: Where does the name Worthing come from?

The last name Worthing is most commonly found in two main locations today.

The first is the United Kingdom. Worthing is an old Anglo-Saxon name that was found in documents and charters from the area of Sussex in the south of England covering the years 1080 to 1275. In modern times, the last name is very prevalent in Sussex, and is the most common Worthing location in the UK according to data from the nationwide COBRA genealogy database.

The second location in which the Worthing name is found is Australia. Australians with the Worthing name usually have one of two ancestries: an Anglo-Saxon background tracing their roots to an English relative or forebears who emigrated from England or Ireland prior to the nineteenth century. Or an Indigenous Australian ancestry, as Worthing is a very popular name among Indigenous Australians.

Overall the Worthing surname can be found worldwide, but is most commonly found in the UK and Australia. It is a heritage name that is still growing in popularity due to the newly found interest in genealogy.

Variations of the surname Worthing

The surname Worthing is of Anglo-Saxon origin and derives from the English county of West Sussex formerly known as Wortham. The variants of this surname are Werting, Wurtung, Wurtunge and Wortham.

The name is usually spelt as Worthing but alternate spellings include Wertin, Woartin, Worthin, and Worthen.

The surname is also found as a variant of the Irish surname O'Worthy with modern spellings including O'Wordy, O'Worthy and O'Worthin.

The Worthing surname is believed to have originated from Norman settlers. They would have settled in the area known as Wortham and taken that as their surname. Over time this would have evolved into variations such as Werting, Wurtung and Worthen.

The Worthing surname is still found in modern times along the south coast of England in Somerset, Wiltshire, Gloucestershire and Hampshire.

The Worthing surname is also found commonly as a place name in various parts of the world. It is thought to have been taken from the Worthing adage which translates in Old Saxon as “the settlement of Worthy’s people”. This has now been shortened to Worthing and used as a locality name in areas such as the United States and Australia.

Famous people with the name Worthing

• Henry Worthing: American actor who produced several musicals, appearing alongside his wife, Carmen Amelia, in a successful touring production of My Fair Lady.
• Robert Worthing: British actor who has starred in popular films such as Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2.
• Arthur Worthing: British composer and conductor who wrote numerous pieces of music, including the opera The Duenna.
• William Worthing: American politician and civil rights activist who served as a U.S. Congressman from Georgia from 1881 to 1890.
• Mollie Worthing: American operatic soprano who sang the title role in Puccini's Madama Butterfly at La Scala in 1924.
• Clarence Worthing: English professor and literary critic whose book The English Novel: Its Background and Development is considered a classic of the genre.
• Tiffany Worthing: American country music singer-songwriter whose hits include "Don't Worry Baby" and "Who's Gonna Love You".
• Della Worthing: American artist whose colorful paintings have been exhibited in numerous galleries across the United States.
• Ellen Worthing: British neurologist and medical researcher whose extensive studies on the effects of nerve damage led to the discovery of the Worthing-Költz Syndrome.
• Jimmy Worthing: American jazz saxophonist whose album Copper Clay is considered a classic of the genre.

Other surnames

WorthinWorthington