NameCensus.

UK surname

Watt

An occupational surname referring to a watchman, herdsman, or hunter.

In the 1881 census there were 11,539 people recorded with the Watt surname, ranking it #371 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 15,709, ranked #401, down from #371 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Govan Combination, Arbroath and St. Vigeans and Edinburgh. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Gardenstown and King Edward, Rosehearty and Strathbeg and Macduff.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Watt is 15,724 in 2014. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 36.1%.

1881 census count

11,539

Ranked #371

Modern count

15,709

2016, ranked #401

Peak year

2014

15,724 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Watt had 11,539 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #371 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 15,709 in 2016, ranked #401.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 14,182 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Watt surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Watt surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Watt 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 8,408 #321
1861 historical 9,410 #282
1881 historical 11,539 #371
1891 historical 12,852 #341
1901 historical 14,182 #370
1911 historical 3,503 #1,491
1997 modern 14,688 #412
1998 modern 15,284 #412
1999 modern 15,391 #411
2000 modern 15,292 #413
2001 modern 14,848 #416
2002 modern 15,185 #415
2003 modern 14,737 #416
2004 modern 14,869 #413
2005 modern 14,884 #407
2006 modern 14,948 #408
2007 modern 15,016 #407
2008 modern 15,105 #409
2009 modern 15,375 #410
2010 modern 15,657 #411
2011 modern 15,419 #411
2012 modern 15,146 #410
2013 modern 15,466 #410
2014 modern 15,724 #407
2015 modern 15,618 #403
2016 modern 15,709 #401

Geography

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Where Watts are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Govan Combination, Arbroath and St. Vigeans, Edinburgh, Dundee, Liff, Benvie and Invergowry and Glasgow. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Gardenstown and King Edward, Rosehearty and Strathbeg, Macduff, Fraserburgh Smiddyhill and Lerwick North. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Govan Combination Lanark
2 Arbroath and St. Vigeans Forfar
3 Edinburgh Edinburgh
4 Dundee, Liff, Benvie and Invergowry Forfar
5 Glasgow Lanark

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Gardenstown and King Edward Aberdeenshire
2 Rosehearty and Strathbeg Aberdeenshire
3 Macduff Aberdeenshire
4 Fraserburgh Smiddyhill Aberdeenshire
5 Lerwick North Shetland Islands

Forenames

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First names often paired with Watt

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Watt

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Watt, 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 Watt surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Established but Challenged, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Watt 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, Watt 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

Watt 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

Watt 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 Watt is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

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

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

Meaning and origin of Watt

The surname Watt has its origins in Scotland, with records dating back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old English word "wath" or "vath," meaning a ford or shallow crossing in a river. This suggests that the name likely originated from someone who lived near a ford or crossing point.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which lists several individuals with the surname Watt or Vath from various regions of Scotland. In the 14th century, the name appears in the Register of the Great Seal of Scotland, indicating its presence among landowners and prominent families.

The surname Watt has a strong connection to the Scottish Borders region, particularly in the areas around Roxburghshire and Berwickshire. It is also found in other parts of Scotland, such as Ayrshire and Lanarkshire.

Historically, the name has been associated with several notable figures. One of the most famous bearers of the surname is James Watt, the renowned Scottish inventor and mechanical engineer born in 1736. His improvements to the steam engine played a crucial role in the Industrial Revolution.

Another prominent individual was Sir Thomas Watt, a Scottish diplomat and ambassador who served during the reign of King James VI in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. He played a significant role in the Union of the Crowns and the establishment of the Stuart dynasty in England.

In the literary world, Ian Watt, a Scottish literary critic and scholar born in 1917, made significant contributions to the study of the English novel and its origins.

Robert Watt, born in 1774, was a Scottish bibliographer and editor known for his work on the "Bibliotheca Britannica," a comprehensive catalogue of British literature.

Lastly, John Watt, a Scottish engineer born in 1811, was instrumental in the development of early railways and is credited with designing and constructing several notable bridges and viaducts in Scotland and England.

While the Watt surname has its roots in Scotland, it has spread across the globe, with bearers of the name found in various countries and cultures today.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Watt families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Watt 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. Aberdeenshire leads with 2,099 Watts recorded in 1881 and an index of 20.23x.

County Total Index
Aberdeenshire 2,099 20.23x
Lanarkshire 1,494 4.12x
Midlothian 922 6.14x
Angus 850 8.19x
Banffshire 795 34.21x
Durham 514 1.54x
Ayrshire 429 5.12x
Renfrewshire 371 4.27x
Middlesex 363 0.32x
East Lothian 326 21.97x
Kincardineshire 317 23.24x
Fife 271 4.09x
Lancashire 248 0.19x
Northumberland 187 1.12x
Stirlingshire 166 4.02x
Dunbartonshire 165 5.48x
Perthshire 143 2.84x
Yorkshire 141 0.13x
Surrey 140 0.26x
Morayshire 122 7.01x
West Lothian 108 6.40x
Kent 102 0.27x
Staffordshire 78 0.21x
Westmorland 74 3.01x
Cheshire 62 0.25x
Cumberland 57 0.59x
Hampshire 57 0.25x
Caithness 56 3.65x
Dumfriesshire 50 2.02x
Norfolk 49 0.28x
Orkney 49 3.98x
Warwickshire 41 0.15x
Clackmannanshire 40 4.32x
Argyllshire 39 1.25x
Shetland 39 3.41x
Essex 38 0.17x
Inverness-shire 38 1.14x
Wigtownshire 38 2.55x
Berwickshire 33 2.43x
Sutherland 27 3.13x
Selkirkshire 25 2.47x
Peeblesshire 24 4.55x
Devon 22 0.09x
Roxburghshire 20 0.99x
Kinross-shire 19 6.71x
Kirkcudbrightshire 18 1.11x
Lincolnshire 17 0.09x
Ross-shire 17 0.55x
Sussex 16 0.08x
Somerset 14 0.08x
Glamorgan 13 0.07x
Pembrokeshire 13 0.37x
Derbyshire 11 0.06x
Northamptonshire 10 0.09x
Dorset 8 0.11x
Carmarthenshire 7 0.15x
Gloucestershire 7 0.03x
Monmouthshire 7 0.09x
Royal Navy 7 0.52x
Worcestershire 7 0.05x
Berkshire 6 0.07x
Nairnshire 6 1.75x
Buteshire 5 0.74x
Channel Islands 5 0.15x
Cornwall 5 0.04x
Isle of Man 5 0.24x
Leicestershire 5 0.04x
Hertfordshire 4 0.05x
Radnorshire 4 0.44x
Caernarfonshire 3 0.07x
Cambridgeshire 3 0.04x
Huntingdonshire 3 0.13x
Nottinghamshire 2 0.01x
Shropshire 2 0.02x
Suffolk 2 0.01x
Buckinghamshire 1 0.01x
Herefordshire 1 0.02x
Oxfordshire 1 0.01x
Wiltshire 1 0.01x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Barony in Lanarkshire leads with 436 Watts recorded in 1881 and an index of 4.76x.

Place Total Index
Barony 436 4.76x
Gamrie 393 151.49x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 386 6.39x
Aberdeen Old Machar 330 15.23x
Govan 312 3.48x
Dundee 257 6.63x
Aberdeen St Nicholas 248 12.78x
South Leith 161 9.53x
Glasgow 159 2.47x
Fraserburgh 147 50.33x
Keith 101 40.77x
Montrose 95 15.10x
Peterhead 93 16.95x
St Vigeans 92 16.42x
Old Deer 85 43.24x
Cambusnethan 81 10.07x
Hartlepool 80 16.89x
Craig 74 73.82x
Old Monkland 70 4.87x
Banff 66 32.70x
Liff Benvie 65 4.13x
Paisley High Church 62 8.97x
Bishopwearmouth 60 2.10x
Bothwell 60 6.11x
Aberdour 57 69.72x
New Monkland 56 5.23x
Arbroath 55 15.99x
Ardrossan 54 18.61x
Stranton 52 4.63x
Dunfermline 51 5.00x
Kinneff Catterline 50 130.14x
Huntly 49 29.03x
Liverpool 48 0.59x
Fetteresso 47 21.99x
East Greenock 46 5.61x
Kilmarnock 46 4.61x
New Deer 46 24.49x
Marnoch 45 36.06x
North Leith 45 6.48x
West Greenock 45 2.89x
Abbey 44 3.32x
Boharm 44 96.34x
Laurencekirk 43 54.41x
Prestonkirk 43 57.95x
Peterculter 42 57.38x
Skene 42 61.06x
Stirling 41 7.87x
Brechin 40 9.81x
Hamilton 40 3.96x
Maryhill 40 5.64x
Forfar 39 6.94x
Haddington 39 17.81x
Islington London 39 0.36x
Monkwearmouth Shore 39 5.99x
Tranent 39 19.45x
Westoe 39 2.06x
Glass 38 95.94x
Monifieth 38 10.37x
Turriff 38 22.69x
St Pancras London 37 0.41x
Auchindoir Kearn 36 61.80x
Pitsligo 36 36.30x
Sunderland 35 5.95x
Dirleton 34 58.37x
Dumbarton 34 8.11x
Lambeth 34 0.35x
Thurso 33 13.79x
Dunnottar 32 33.34x
Dalkeith 31 10.47x
Dunbar 31 14.90x
Falkirk 31 3.21x
Fyvie 31 18.31x
Inverurie 31 26.42x
New Kilpatrick 31 10.83x
Toxteth Park 31 0.69x
Currie 30 32.65x
Forgue 30 32.20x
Hedworth Monkton Jarrow 30 2.08x
Inveravon 30 30.29x
Inverness 29 3.45x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 166
Elizabeth 83
Jane 72
Margaret 71
Sarah 54
Ann 40
Annie 34
Isabella 33
Catherine 30
Ellen 29
Hannah 26
Alice 22
Eliza 22
Emily 22
Agnes 18
Jessie 15
Louisa 15
Charlotte 14
Anne 13
Eleanor 13
Emma 13
Frances 11
Harriet 11
Helen 11
Florence 10
Janet 10
Martha 10
Rebecca 10
Ada 9
Edith 9
Fanny 9
Katherine 9
Susan 9
Kate 8
Maggie 7
Christina 6
Lucy 6
Maria 6
Dorothy 5
Elizth. 5
Ethel 5
Georgina 5
Grace 5
Henrietta 5
Julia 5
May 5
Minnie 5
Sophia 5
Caroline 4
Isabel 4

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 165
James 150
William 141
George 84
Thomas 73
Robert 47
Alexander 41
Joseph 30
David 29
Charles 27
Henry 22
Alfred 19
Peter 18
Andrew 15
Edward 13
Frederick 13
Richard 13
Francis 11
Arthur 10
Samuel 9
Adam 8
Archibald 6
Frank 6
Harry 5
Hugh 5
Thos. 5
Walter 5
Albert 4
Edwin 4
Ernest 4
Herbert 4
Jno. 4
Tom 4
Wm. 4
Abraham 3
Allan 3
Anthony 3
Donald 3
Fredk. 3
Isaac 3
Matthew 3
Michael 3
Nicholas 3
Percy 3
Reginald 3
Robt. 3
Sidney 3
Wilfred 3
Chas. 2
Fred 2

FAQ

Watt surname: questions and answers

How common was the Watt surname in 1881?

In 1881, 11,539 people were recorded with the Watt surname. That placed it at #371 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Watt surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 15,709 in 2016. That gives Watt a modern rank of #401.

What does the Watt surname mean?

An occupational surname referring to a watchman, herdsman, or hunter.

What does the Watt map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Watt 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.