NameCensus.

UK surname

Waterston

An English surname derived from a place name referring to a town located near water.

In the 1881 census there were 436 people recorded with the Waterston surname, ranking it #7,485 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 571, ranked #9,030, down from #7,485 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Beith, Forfar and Govan Combination. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Northumberland, Longstone and Saughton and Sunderland.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Waterston is 583 in 2000. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 31.0%.

1881 census count

436

Ranked #7,485

Modern count

571

2016, ranked #9,030

Peak year

2000

583 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Waterston had 436 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #7,485 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 571 in 2016, ranked #9,030.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 526 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Waterston surname distribution map

The map shows where the Waterston surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Waterston surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Waterston over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 343 #6,861
1861 historical 336 #7,589
1881 historical 436 #7,485
1891 historical 465 #7,874
1901 historical 526 #7,760
1911 historical 184 #15,742
1997 modern 543 #8,752
1998 modern 557 #8,837
1999 modern 560 #8,855
2000 modern 583 #8,571
2001 modern 552 #8,780
2002 modern 557 #8,894
2003 modern 528 #9,127
2004 modern 518 #9,274
2005 modern 511 #9,297
2006 modern 510 #9,342
2007 modern 513 #9,393
2008 modern 533 #9,182
2009 modern 547 #9,215
2010 modern 549 #9,380
2011 modern 546 #9,322
2012 modern 534 #9,391
2013 modern 561 #9,177
2014 modern 564 #9,208
2015 modern 558 #9,193
2016 modern 571 #9,030

Geography

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Where Waterstons are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Beith, Forfar, Govan Combination, Edinburgh and Glasgow. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Northumberland, Longstone and Saughton, Sunderland and Beith East and Rural. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Beith Ayr
2 Forfar Forfar
3 Govan Combination Lanark
4 Edinburgh Edinburgh
5 Glasgow Lanark

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Northumberland 016 Northumberland
2 Longstone and Saughton City of Edinburgh
3 Northumberland 018 Northumberland
4 Sunderland 033 Sunderland
5 Beith East and Rural North Ayrshire

Forenames

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First names often paired with Waterston

These lists show first names that appear often with the Waterston surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Waterston

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Waterston, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce

Group

Established but Challenged

Nationally, the Waterston surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Established but Challenged, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Waterston household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many households in these neighbourhoods comprise separated or divorced single parents with dependent children. Residents are typically born in the UK, and these neighbourhoods have relatively few members of ethnic minorities. The prevalence of children, their parents and those at or above normal retirement age, suggests neighbourhood structures may be long-established. Levels of unpaid care are high, and long-term disability is more common than in the Supergroup as a whole. Use of the social rented sector is common, often in terraced houses. Levels of overcrowding are above the Supergroup average. Unemployment is high, while those in work are employed in elementary occupations such as caring, leisure and customer services. Many residents have low level qualifications. Neighbourhood concentrations of this Group are found in the South Wales Valleys, Belfast, Londonderry and the Central Lowlands of Scotland.

Wider pattern

Living in terraced or semi-detached houses, residents of these neighbourhoods typically lack high levels of education and work in elementary or routine service occupations. Unemployment is above average. Residents are predominantly born in the UK, and residents are also predominantly from ethnic minorities. Social (but not private sector) rented sector housing is common. This Supergroup is found throughout the UK’s conurbations and industrial regions but is also an integral part of smaller towns.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Waterston is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Mainly located in Inner London, these neighbourhoods retain a diverse employment structure, with some concentration in associated professional and technical occupations rather than skilled trades or construction. Social renting is more common and levels of homeownership are low. Many residents identify as Black. There is a lower than average rate of marriage or civil partnership, few that are very old (85 or over) and higher than average incidence of disability.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Waterston is most concentrated in decile 1 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the less healthy end of the index.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

1
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Waterston falls in decile 10 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the less deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

10
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Waterston is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 60-70 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

9
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Waterston, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Waterston

The surname Waterston is of English origin, deriving from a locational name for someone who lived near a settlement with a stream or river. It likely emerged in the late medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century. The name is a combination of the Old English words "waeter" meaning water, and "tun" meaning an enclosure or settlement.

One of the earliest recorded examples of the name is found in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1273, where a Richard de Waterton is mentioned. This suggests the name may have originated in areas like Oxfordshire or nearby counties where watercourses were prevalent.

In the 14th century, variations of the name like Waterton appear in records across England, such as the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379. This indicates the name had spread to different regions by that time.

The Waterstones were a notable family from Westmorland (now part of Cumbria) in the 16th century. Edward Waterston (c.1540-1592) was a member of this family and served as a Justice of the Peace.

Robert Waterston (1599-1677) was a Scottish minister who served as the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland in 1642. He was a prominent figure during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms.

George Waterston (1684-1766) was a Scottish merchant and judge who served as a Baillie (magistrate) of Edinburgh in the early 18th century.

William Waterston (1811-1886) was a Scottish architect who designed several notable buildings in Edinburgh, including St. Mary's Episcopal Cathedral.

Edward Lewis Waterston (1834-1916) was a British naturalist and writer, best known for his works on natural history and taxidermy.

The name Waterston has been associated with various place names over the centuries, often reflecting its locational origins. Examples include Waterton in Yorkshire, Watertown in Oxfordshire, and Waterton in Cumbria.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Waterston families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Waterston surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Midlothian leads with 119 Waterstons recorded in 1881 and an index of 20.98x.

County Total Index
Midlothian 119 20.98x
Renfrewshire 58 17.68x
Northumberland 52 8.26x
Lanarkshire 50 3.65x
Angus 46 11.73x
Perthshire 26 13.68x
Lancashire 16 0.32x
East Lothian 15 26.75x
Fife 11 4.39x
Yorkshire 7 0.17x
Berwickshire 5 9.75x
Hertfordshire 5 1.71x
Kinross-shire 4 37.38x
West Lothian 4 6.27x
Ayrshire 3 0.95x
Sussex 3 0.42x
Durham 2 0.16x
Kent 2 0.14x
Middlesex 2 0.05x
Nairnshire 2 15.48x
Banffshire 1 1.14x
Dumfriesshire 1 1.07x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Edinburgh St Cuthberts in Midlothian leads with 59 Waterstons recorded in 1881 and an index of 25.86x.

Place Total Index
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 59 25.86x
Forfar 22 103.58x
Govan 18 5.32x
Barrow In Furness 16 23.42x
Elswick 16 31.83x
Mitford 16 4848.48x
South Leith 16 25.07x
Ormiston 15 1006.71x
Dundee 12 8.20x
Paisley Middle Church 11 57.59x
Renfrew 11 101.57x
Barony 10 2.89x
Newton 10 523.56x
Paisley Low Church 9 86.62x
Edinburgh St Marys 8 72.60x
Methven 8 286.74x
Abbey 7 13.98x
Glasgow 7 2.88x
Kinghorn 7 131.58x
Perth East Church 7 39.08x
Cathcart 6 33.80x
New Monkland 6 14.83x
Newcastle On Tyne All Sts 6 15.95x
St Vigeans 6 28.34x
Barry 5 106.16x
Coldingham 5 108.46x
Eaglesham 5 248.76x
Edinburgh New North 5 101.21x
Great Gaddesden 5 364.96x
Kinclaven 5 581.40x
Leeds 5 2.11x
Morpeth 5 67.48x
Cowpen 4 27.59x
Edinburgh St Georges 4 33.98x
Kinross 4 108.99x
Newbattle 4 82.47x
Newcastle On Tyne St 4 12.25x
Old Monkland 4 7.36x
Paisley High Church 4 15.31x
Whitburn 4 43.43x
Beith 3 31.75x
Brighton 3 2.08x
Burntisland 3 42.80x
Crichton 3 189.87x
East Greenock 3 9.68x
Inveresk 3 19.54x
North Leith 3 11.43x
Blantyre 2 14.04x
Darlington 2 4.11x
Errol 2 56.82x
Hamilton 2 5.24x
Hunslet 2 3.06x
Lasswade 2 15.42x
Nairn 2 25.51x
Aberdalgie 1 232.56x
Ashford 1 7.11x
Auchtergaven 1 31.35x
Banff 1 13.11x
Cupar 1 9.17x
Currie 1 28.82x
Duddingston 1 8.79x
Dumfries 1 10.85x
Jesmond 1 11.29x
Kilmalcolm 1 25.45x
Kirriemuir 1 10.33x
Longforgan 1 37.17x
Maryhill 1 3.73x
Monzie 1 91.74x
St George Bloomsbury 1 4.12x
St Lawrence 1 10.07x
St Sepulchre London 1 16.13x
West Greenock 1 1.70x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Waterston surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Mary 12
Margaret 4
Agnes 3
Ann 3
Isabella 3
Eliza 2
Elizabeth 2
Hannah 2
Jane 2
Margt. 2
Amy 1
Anna 1
Edith 1
Eleanor 1
Margt.J. 1
Maria 1
Martha 1
Mercy 1
Sarah 1
Susannah 1

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Waterston surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
George 7
James 5
John 5
Joseph 5
William 5
Edward 3
Jas. 2
Robert 2
Thomas 2
Alfred 1
Arnold 1
Benjamin 1
Edmund 1
Edwd. 1
Frederick 1
Henry 1
Robt. 1

FAQ

Waterston surname: questions and answers

How common was the Waterston surname in 1881?

In 1881, 436 people were recorded with the Waterston surname. That placed it at #7,485 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Waterston surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 571 in 2016. That gives Waterston a modern rank of #9,030.

What does the Waterston surname mean?

An English surname derived from a place name referring to a town located near water.

What does the Waterston map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Waterston bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.