Watt
A surname derived from the Middle English word "wat" referring to a watchman.
Name Census estimates that about 91 living Americans carry the first name Watt. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Watt today is around 79 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Watt births was 1920 (15 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Watt. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Watt is about 79 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Watts were born before 1957.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Watt. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
91
~ 1 in 3,766,531 Americans
Peak year
1920
15 babies that year
Average age
79
years old
1971 SSA rank
#5,638
Tracked since 1880
Popularity
Watt: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Watt from the 1880s through to the 1970s, spanning 10 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 113 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1920s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Watt by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Watt during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Watt
The given name Watt is of English origin, derived from the nickname "Wat," a shortened form of the medieval name Walter. The name Walter itself is derived from the Germanic elements "wald" (meaning "rule") and "heri" (meaning "army"), essentially translating to "commander of the army."
In the late 12th century, the name Wat emerged as a common nickname for Walter in England. It gained popularity during the Peasants' Revolt of 1381, led by Wat Tyler, a significant figure in English history. The widespread use of the nickname Wat during this period likely contributed to its eventual establishment as an independent given name.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Watt as a first name can be found in the 16th century. Watt Cobler, a Scottish minister and reformer, lived from around 1567 to 1616. He was a prominent figure in the Presbyterian movement in Scotland during the reign of King James VI.
Perhaps the most famous bearer of the name Watt is the Scottish inventor and mechanical engineer, James Watt (1736-1819). He is renowned for his pioneering work on the steam engine, which played a crucial role in the Industrial Revolution. Watt's contributions to the field of engineering and his improvements to the steam engine have had a lasting impact on modern technology.
Another notable figure with the first name Watt is Watt Key (born 1970), an American author best known for his award-winning novel "Alabama Moon." He has written several books for young adults, exploring themes of survival, family, and the natural world.
In the world of sports, Watt Pringle Jr. (born 1938) was a professional American football player who played as a defensive back for the Cleveland Browns and Philadelphia Eagles in the 1960s. He was part of the Cleveland Browns team that won the NFL championship in 1964.
Watt Buchanan (1887-1944) was a Scottish-American cartoonist and illustrator best known for his work in the early 20th century. He created the popular comic strip "The Gumps," which ran in newspapers from 1917 to 1959, chronicling the lives of a working-class family.
People
Watt + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Watt as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with W
Other first names starting with W with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Watt: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Watt?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 91 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Watt going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 3,766,531 US residents.
Is Watt a common name?
We classify Watt as "Very Rare". It ranks above 63.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 444 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Watt most popular?
The single biggest year for Watt was 1920, when 15 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Watt is about 79 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Watt a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Watt in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.