NameCensus.

UK surname

Watton

A locational surname originating from places named Watton in England.

In the 1881 census there were 1,088 people recorded with the Watton surname, ranking it #3,658 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 2,057, ranked #3,142, up from #3,658 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Inkberrow, Sedgley and Birmingham Town: Birmingham. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Shropshire and Dudley.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Watton is 2,090 in 2014. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 89.1%.

1881 census count

1,088

Ranked #3,658

Modern count

2,057

2016, ranked #3,142

Peak year

2014

2,090 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Watton had 1,088 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #3,658 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 2,057 in 2016, ranked #3,142.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 1,782 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Challenged Communities.

Watton surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Watton surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Watton 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 1,013 #2,755
1861 historical 1,704 #1,681
1881 historical 1,088 #3,658
1891 historical 1,469 #2,995
1901 historical 1,324 #3,783
1911 historical 1,782 #2,745
1997 modern 1,894 #3,186
1998 modern 1,970 #3,193
1999 modern 1,971 #3,213
2000 modern 1,956 #3,220
2001 modern 1,932 #3,195
2002 modern 1,975 #3,204
2003 modern 1,907 #3,228
2004 modern 1,921 #3,213
2005 modern 1,908 #3,209
2006 modern 1,922 #3,199
2007 modern 1,947 #3,195
2008 modern 1,943 #3,213
2009 modern 1,986 #3,228
2010 modern 2,041 #3,222
2011 modern 2,033 #3,196
2012 modern 2,053 #3,120
2013 modern 2,083 #3,134
2014 modern 2,090 #3,140
2015 modern 2,070 #3,141
2016 modern 2,057 #3,142

Geography

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Where Wattons are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Inkberrow, Sedgley, Birmingham Town: Birmingham, Birmingham Town: Aston and West Bromwich. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Shropshire and Dudley. 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 Inkberrow Warwickshire
2 Sedgley Staffordshire
3 Birmingham Town: Birmingham Warwickshire
4 Birmingham Town: Aston Warwickshire
5 West Bromwich Staffordshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Shropshire 002 Shropshire
2 Dudley 008 Dudley
3 Dudley 005 Dudley
4 Dudley 002 Dudley
5 Dudley 007 Dudley

Forenames

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First names often paired with Watton

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Watton

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Watton, 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

Baseline UK

Group

Challenged Communities

Nationally, the Watton surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Challenged Communities, within Baseline UK. This does not mean every Watton household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Residents of these neighbourhoods typically live in households with dependent children, and there are fewer-than-average residents of normal retirement age or over. Identification with ethnic minorities, particularly Black, or Mixed or Multiple ethnicities is common. The rate of Christian religious affiliation is low. Housing predominantly consists of semi-detached houses, along with a significant number of terraced properties and flats. Overcrowded social housing is common, and private renting occurs at average UK levels. Those in employment work mainly in caring leisure and other services; process, plant and machine operation; or elementary occupations. Unemployment is high, and few individuals have degree level qualifications. Many of these neighbourhoods occur in commuter towns or less accessible areas of larger towns and cities.

Wider pattern

This Supergroup exemplifies the broad base to the UK’s social structure, encompassing as it does the average or modal levels of many neighbourhood characteristics, including all housing tenures, a range of levels of educational attainment and religious affiliations, and a variety of pre-retirement age structures. Yet, in combination, these mixes are each distinctive of the parts of the UK. Overall, terraced houses and flats are the most prevalent, as is employment in intermediate or low-skilled occupations. However, this Supergroup is also characterised by above average levels of unemployment and lower levels of use of English as the main language. Many neighbourhoods occur in south London and the UK’s other major urban centres.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Skilled Trades and Construction Workers

Within London, Watton is most associated with areas classed as Skilled Trades and Construction 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

These scattered, peripheral and often low residential density neighbourhoods house more workers in skilled trades and construction. Few households rent social housing and there are few students. Multiple car ownership is higher than the Supergroup average, perhaps because of poorer public transport connectivity. Incidence of mixed or multiple ethnicity is below the Supergroup average, and the absence of individuals identifying as Pakistani or Other Asian groups is also less pronounced. Flatted accommodation is less dominant than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

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

Watton is most concentrated in decile 6 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname near the middle of the scale.

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

6
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Watton falls in decile 4 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname near the middle of the scale.

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

4
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Watton

The surname Watton is of Anglo-Saxon origin and is derived from the Old English words 'waet' meaning wet or watery, and 'tun' meaning an enclosure or settlement. It likely originated as a toponymic surname, denoting someone who lived near a wet or marshy area.

The earliest recorded references to the name Watton can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as 'Watuna' and 'Watone'. These entries refer to settlements in Norfolk and Yorkshire, suggesting that the name was already well-established in different parts of England by the late 11th century.

In the 13th century, a variation of the name, 'Wattone', appears in the Curia Regis Rolls of Hertfordshire, dated 1221. This record mentions a landowner named William de Wattone, indicating that the name was associated with people of some status and landowners during this period.

By the 14th century, the name had evolved to its modern spelling of 'Watton'. In the Subsidy Rolls of Norfolk from 1327, there is a record of a John de Watton, while the Poll Tax Returns of Yorkshire in 1379 list a Thomas de Watton.

Notable individuals with the surname Watton include:

1. Henry de Watton (c. 1235-1292), an English theologian and philosopher who served as the Chancellor of the University of Oxford. 2. John Watton (c. 1320-1387), an English Carmelite friar and theologian who wrote extensively on the works of John Duns Scotus. 3. William Watton (c. 1450-1516), an English Catholic priest and author who wrote a Latin treatise on the education of children. 4. Thomas Watton (c. 1555-1612), an English merchant and explorer who accompanied Sir Walter Raleigh on his expedition to Guiana in 1595. 5. Elizabeth Watton (c. 1680-1744), an English philanthropist and founder of the Watton Charity School in Norfolk, which provided education for poor children.

The name Watton is also closely associated with several place names in England, such as Watton-at-Stone in Hertfordshire, Watton in Norfolk, and Watton Priory in Yorkshire, further reinforcing its toponymic origins and historical significance in various regions of the country.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Watton families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Watton 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. Staffordshire leads with 241 Wattons recorded in 1881 and an index of 6.75x.

County Total Index
Staffordshire 241 6.75x
Warwickshire 181 6.79x
Worcestershire 140 10.14x
Hampshire 104 4.80x
Middlesex 56 0.53x
Yorkshire 48 0.46x
Lancashire 42 0.33x
Surrey 41 0.80x
Lincolnshire 33 1.95x
Shropshire 23 2.52x
Devon 19 0.86x
Kent 16 0.44x
Essex 15 0.72x
Cheshire 13 0.56x
Gloucestershire 11 0.53x
Channel Islands 10 3.19x
Nottinghamshire 10 0.70x
Derbyshire 8 0.48x
Flintshire 8 2.81x
Norfolk 8 0.49x
Caithness 7 4.83x
Cumberland 7 0.77x
Dorset 7 1.01x
Angus 5 0.51x
Lanarkshire 4 0.12x
Wiltshire 4 0.43x
Durham 3 0.10x
Rutland 3 3.86x
Sussex 3 0.17x
Berkshire 2 0.25x
Herefordshire 2 0.46x
Northamptonshire 2 0.20x
Anglesey 1 0.53x
Inverness-shire 1 0.32x
Merionethshire 1 0.52x
Northumberland 1 0.06x
Royal Navy 1 0.79x
Somerset 1 0.06x
Suffolk 1 0.08x
Sutherland 1 1.23x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Sedgley in Staffordshire leads with 114 Wattons recorded in 1881 and an index of 85.99x.

Place Total Index
Sedgley 114 85.99x
Birmingham 89 10.01x
Holdenhurst 79 138.96x
Aston 41 5.58x
Inkberrow 35 627.24x
Feckenham 23 145.57x
Bilston 21 30.36x
Kings Norton 19 15.34x
Leamington Priors 17 25.91x
Edgbaston 16 19.35x
Walsall Foreign 15 8.14x
Bromsgrove 14 30.12x
Leasingham 14 1037.04x
Dudley 13 7.74x
Chivelstone 12 779.22x
West Bromwich 12 5.87x
Burslem 10 9.78x
Tipton 10 9.15x
Billinghay 9 172.74x
Castleford 9 23.58x
Finghall Akebar 9 1636.36x
Kingswinford 9 6.94x
Lichfield St Michael 9 80.36x
Soothill 9 23.78x
Wolverhampton 9 3.28x
Battersea 8 2.06x
Bramhope 8 1212.12x
Camberwell 8 1.18x
Christchurch 8 17.02x
Claines 8 21.11x
Dodderhill 8 135.82x
Gorton 8 6.78x
Lewisham 8 4.16x
Mold Gwysaney 8 1038.96x
Pendleton In Salford 8 5.35x
Rotherhithe 8 6.12x
Shrewsbury St Chad 8 24.95x
Whittington 8 104.58x
Barking 7 11.46x
Coventry Holy Trinity 7 8.79x
Grouville 7 80.18x
Haughmond Demesne 7 1458.33x
Kensington London 7 1.19x
Liverpool 7 0.92x
Mickleton 7 256.41x
Wall 7 1666.67x
Wick 7 14.97x
Brading 6 20.83x
Harborne 6 5.25x
Hutton Soil 6 431.65x
Lambeth 6 0.65x
Lullington 6 222.22x
Mile End Old Town 6 3.59x
Plymouth St Andrew 6 3.54x
Runcorn 6 11.15x
Bermondsey 5 1.59x
Billingborough 5 116.28x
Dundee 5 1.37x
Horninglow 5 29.74x
Islington London 5 0.49x
Northfield 5 19.08x
Radford 5 6.91x
Ribchester 5 105.49x
Southery 5 116.55x
St Paul Covent Garden 5 47.26x
Steeton Cum Eastburn 5 138.89x
West Ham 5 1.09x
Bolehall Glascote 4 35.40x
Farforth Cum Maidenwell 4 769.23x
Hammersmith London 4 1.54x
Kinson 4 29.50x
Leigh 4 168.78x
Nottingham St Mary 4 1.09x
Oldbury 4 5.89x
Rodbourne Cheney 4 55.40x
St George Hanover 4 2.90x
St George In East 4 5.56x
Stockport Etchells 4 80.48x
Tamworth 4 20.95x
Westbury On Trym 3 4.27x

Top female names

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

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 61
John 57
Thomas 42
George 34
Henry 28
Joseph 25
Alfred 19
Charles 19
James 13
Edward 11
Robert 11
Albert 10
Arthur 10
Ernest 8
Benjamin 7
Samuel 7
Richard 6
Edwin 5
Moses 5
Walter 5
Francis 4
Frank 4
Herbert 4
Isaac 4
Wm. 4
Frederick 3
Fredrick 3
Harry 3
Percy 3
Andrew 2
Christopher 2
David 2
Eli 2
Enoch 2
Geo. 2
Jesse 2
Lewis 2
Percival 2
Saml. 2
Thos. 2
Tom 2
Alexander 1
Allen 1
Chas. 1
Chas.Ernest 1
Cowery 1
Ethelbert 1
Fred 1
Jonathan 1
Zacharias 1

FAQ

Watton surname: questions and answers

How common was the Watton surname in 1881?

In 1881, 1,088 people were recorded with the Watton surname. That placed it at #3,658 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Watton surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 2,057 in 2016. That gives Watton a modern rank of #3,142.

What does the Watton surname mean?

A locational surname originating from places named Watton in England.

What does the Watton map show?

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