NameCensus.

UK surname

Watters

An occupational surname for someone who transported or sold water, or lived near a water source.

In the 1881 census there were 972 people recorded with the Watters surname, ranking it #4,001 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 2,836, ranked #2,370, up from #4,001 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Mynyddyslwyn, Govan Combination and Edinburgh. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include IZ08, IZ07 and Caerphilly.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Watters is 2,920 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 191.8%.

1881 census count

972

Ranked #4,001

Modern count

2,836

2016, ranked #2,370

Peak year

2010

2,920 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Watters had 972 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #4,001 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 2,836 in 2016, ranked #2,370.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 1,596 in 1891.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Watters surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Watters surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Watters 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 1,172 #2,410
1861 historical 1,467 #1,933
1881 historical 972 #4,001
1891 historical 1,596 #2,790
1901 historical 1,575 #3,275
1911 historical 862 #5,155
1997 modern 2,618 #2,431
1998 modern 2,724 #2,431
1999 modern 2,804 #2,392
2000 modern 2,752 #2,417
2001 modern 2,658 #2,442
2002 modern 2,744 #2,423
2003 modern 2,712 #2,403
2004 modern 2,727 #2,392
2005 modern 2,698 #2,396
2006 modern 2,699 #2,394
2007 modern 2,728 #2,395
2008 modern 2,766 #2,386
2009 modern 2,848 #2,368
2010 modern 2,920 #2,363
2011 modern 2,831 #2,401
2012 modern 2,768 #2,412
2013 modern 2,817 #2,412
2014 modern 2,862 #2,386
2015 modern 2,835 #2,391
2016 modern 2,836 #2,370

Geography

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Where Watters' are most common

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

The modern local-area list points to IZ08, IZ07, Caerphilly, IZ10 and Annbank, Mossblown and Tarbolton - the Coalfields. 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 Mynyddyslwyn Monmouthshire
2 Govan Combination Lanark
3 Edinburgh Edinburgh
4 Glasgow Lanark
5 Kirkcaldy Dysart and Abbotshall Fife

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 IZ08 East Lothian
2 IZ07 East Lothian
3 Caerphilly 018 Caerphilly
4 IZ10 East Lothian
5 Annbank, Mossblown and Tarbolton - the Coalfields South Ayrshire

Forenames

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First names often paired with Watters

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Watters

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

Watters 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

Watters falls in decile 2 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

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

2
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Watters 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 Watters, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Watters

The surname Watters has its origins in Scotland, dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to be a variant of the old Scottish name Walter, which is derived from the Germanic elements "wald" meaning ruler and "heri" meaning army.

The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in various medieval charters and records from Scotland. One notable example is the mention of a Walter de Berclay in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a document recording the swearing of fealty to Edward I of England by Scottish nobles and landowners.

During the 13th and 14th centuries, the name Watters became particularly prevalent in the Scottish Lowlands, particularly in the regions of Dumfriesshire and Lanarkshire. In these areas, the name is thought to have been associated with families who held positions of authority or had ties to the local nobility.

As the surname spread throughout Scotland, various spelling variations emerged, including Watt, Watters, Waters, and Watters. These variations often reflected local dialects and the preferences of individual scribes who recorded the name in official documents.

One of the earliest known bearers of the surname was Sir John Watters, a prominent Scottish knight who fought alongside Robert the Bruce during the Wars of Scottish Independence in the early 14th century. Another notable figure was William Watters, a 16th-century Scottish scholar and theologian who played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation.

In the 17th century, the Watters surname became associated with the Scottish Covenanters, a group of Presbyterians who opposed the religious reforms imposed by the Stuart monarchy. Several individuals with the surname, such as Alexander Watters and John Watters, were imprisoned or executed for their involvement in the Covenanter movement.

As the centuries passed, the Watters surname continued to be found throughout Scotland and eventually spread to other parts of the British Isles and beyond. Notable individuals bearing the name include the Irish-American minister and evangelist Billy Watters (1827-1908), who played a significant role in the Second Great Awakening, and the American artist and illustrator Bill Watters (1935-2020), known for his work on popular comic book series like Spiderman and The Avengers.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Watters families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Watters 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. Cornwall leads with 135 Watters' recorded in 1881 and an index of 12.80x.

County Total Index
Cornwall 135 12.80x
Fife 130 23.57x
Lanarkshire 76 2.52x
Midlothian 68 5.45x
Lancashire 59 0.53x
Ayrshire 47 6.74x
Middlesex 40 0.43x
Renfrewshire 40 5.54x
Cumberland 38 4.74x
Stirlingshire 34 9.90x
Yorkshire 32 0.35x
Orkney 24 23.42x
Clackmannanshire 17 22.10x
Monmouthshire 15 2.23x
Staffordshire 14 0.45x
Perthshire 13 3.11x
Surrey 13 0.29x
Durham 12 0.43x
Essex 12 0.65x
West Lothian 10 7.13x
Caithness 8 6.27x
Dorset 8 1.31x
Sussex 8 0.51x
Wigtownshire 8 6.47x
Buteshire 7 12.40x
Devon 7 0.36x
Kinross-shire 7 29.72x
Leicestershire 7 0.68x
Northumberland 6 0.43x
Warwickshire 6 0.26x
Derbyshire 5 0.34x
Hampshire 5 0.26x
Angus 4 0.46x
East Lothian 4 3.24x
Glamorgan 4 0.25x
Pembrokeshire 4 1.35x
Cheshire 3 0.15x
Dunbartonshire 3 1.20x
Flintshire 3 1.20x
Merionethshire 3 1.76x
Oxfordshire 3 0.52x
Brecknockshire 2 1.07x
Shropshire 2 0.25x
Worcestershire 2 0.16x
Carmarthenshire 1 0.25x
Dumfriesshire 1 0.49x
Gloucestershire 1 0.05x
Hertfordshire 1 0.16x
Roxburghshire 1 0.59x
Royal Navy 1 0.90x
Somerset 1 0.07x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Kirkcaldy in Fife leads with 44 Watters' recorded in 1881 and an index of 160.88x.

Place Total Index
Kirkcaldy 44 160.88x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 40 7.97x
Barony 31 4.07x
Govan 30 4.03x
Camborne 28 64.43x
St Just In Penwith 25 122.19x
Barrow In Furness 23 15.30x
Dunfermline 22 25.94x
Falkirk 22 27.35x
Crowan 19 227.54x
Dreghorn 16 126.78x
Mynyddyslwyn 15 56.45x
Breage 14 145.38x
St Stephen In Brannel 14 145.53x
Walls Flotta 14 291.67x
East Greenock 13 19.07x
Aspatria 12 155.64x
Denny 12 65.65x
Dysart 12 32.31x
Irvine 12 61.95x
Copford 11 521.33x
St Cuthbert W O 11 28.14x
Abbotshall 10 48.52x
Aberdour 10 180.18x
Beath 10 57.37x
Dundonald 10 38.90x
Firth Stenness 10 227.79x
Paddington London 10 2.92x
Paisley Low Church 10 43.76x
Penicuik 10 58.96x
Tillicoultry 9 52.60x
Alloa 8 21.44x
Bincombe 8 1126.76x
Pendleton In Salford 8 6.07x
Cupar 7 29.19x
Glasserton 7 182.29x
Heaton Norris 7 11.13x
Phillack 7 51.43x
Wemyss 7 30.00x
Balquhidder 6 298.51x
Chiswick 6 11.79x
Middlesbrough 6 4.99x
Orwell 6 92.45x
Stevenston 6 33.02x
Upper Hallam 6 74.81x
West Greenock 6 4.63x
Birmingham 5 0.64x
Bromley London 5 2.44x
Edinburgh St Andrews 5 48.50x
Kenwyn 5 18.13x
Leeds 5 0.96x
Livingstone 5 104.38x
Lynesack Softley 5 66.76x
Maryhill 5 8.48x
Newcastle On Tyne St 5 6.96x
Over Darwen 5 5.66x
Reeth 5 219.30x
Rothesay 5 18.29x
Winchelsea St Thomas 5 256.41x
Wolverhampton 5 2.07x
Bathgate 4 13.13x
Brampton Bierlow 4 33.84x
Burntisland 4 25.94x
Crichton 4 114.94x
Dundee 4 1.24x
Glasgow 4 0.75x
Hethersgill 4 211.64x
Lambeth 4 0.49x
Latheron 4 18.74x
Leslie 4 28.65x
Prendergast 4 88.50x
St Keverne 4 68.85x
Stoke Newington London 4 5.51x
Usworth 4 27.17x
Whitherley 4 242.42x
Willenhall 4 6.79x
Crowhurst 3 223.88x
Dolgelley 3 23.66x
Leicester St Margaret 3 1.19x
Middle Greenock 3 15.23x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 34
Elizabeth 24
Jane 14
Sarah 14
Eliza 9
Ellen 8
Annie 7
Ann 6
Catherine 6
Margaret 6
Martha 6
Caroline 4
Edith 4
Grace 4
Isabella 4
Alice 3
Emily 3
Frances 3
Amelia 2
Anne 2
Eliz. 2
Elizth. 2
Harriet 2
Harriett 2
Louisa 2
Lucy 2
Margret 2
Ruth 2
Susan 2
Amy 1
Beatrice 1
Bessie 1
Blanche 1
Elenorah 1
Eleoner 1
Elezebeth 1
Elizabh. 1
Elizabth 1
Ellenorah 1
Florence 1
George 1
Hanna 1
Helen 1
Ismana 1
Jeanette 1
Jeannie 1
Jenifar 1
Jessie 1
Johana 1
Willie 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 38
William 22
Thomas 19
James 18
George 11
Richard 11
Henry 10
Charles 8
Joseph 8
Samuel 5
Edward 4
Edwin 4
Albert 3
Alfred 3
Patrick 3
Thos. 3
Walter 3
Abraham 2
Fredrick 2
Matthew 2
Robert 2
Tom 2
Anthony 1
Augustus 1
Bart 1
Benjamin 1
Burt 1
C.W. 1
David 1
Emma. 1
Ernest 1
Frank 1
Frederick 1
Geo. 1
Harold 1
Jessea 1
Jethro 1
Luke 1
Luther 1
Michael 1
Paul 1
Peter 1
Philip 1
R. 1
Sidney 1
Stephen 1
Thos 1
Ths. 1
Ths.H. 1
Wm. 1

FAQ

Watters surname: questions and answers

How common was the Watters surname in 1881?

In 1881, 972 people were recorded with the Watters surname. That placed it at #4,001 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Watters surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 2,836 in 2016. That gives Watters a modern rank of #2,370.

What does the Watters surname mean?

An occupational surname for someone who transported or sold water, or lived near a water source.

What does the Watters map show?

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