what is the origin of the last name Witherspoon?

Answer 1

witherspoon

Scottish: of uncertain origin, perhaps a habitational name from an unidentified place named with Middle English wether ‘sheep’, ‘ram’ + spong, spang, a dialect term for a narrow strip of land.

Dictionary of American Family Names, Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-19-508137-4

Answer 2

I googled it and found this:
(Locality). A grazing-place in the spur of a mountain or hill; Weider, Dutch or Saxon, and span, to unite, bend, extend.
Source: An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names With an Essay on their Derivation and Import; Arthur, William, M.A.; New York, NY: Sheldon, Blake, Bleeker & CO., 1857.
From the website:
http://www.searchforancestors.com/surnames/origin/w/witherspoon.php

You can check at: http://www.familysearch.org/Eng/Search/ancestorsearchresults.asp?LDS=0&last_name=witherspoon&date_range=0&date_range_index=0&standardize=N
for more info.

Answer 3

They were introduced shortly after the Witherforks.