Find out how popular the last name Atwater is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Atwater.

Atwater, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Atwater surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Atwater in America

Atwater is the 7739th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Atwater surname appeared 4,289 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Atwater.

We can also compare 2010 data for Atwater to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Atwater

The surname Atwater originates from England and is believed to have derived from the Old English words "æt" meaning "at" and "wæter" meaning "water," likely referring to someone who lived near a body of water such as a river or lake. The earliest recorded spelling of the name was found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appeared as "Aet Waetre."

In the medieval period, the name was often spelled in various forms such as Attwater, Attewater, and Atwatyr, reflecting the evolution of the English language over time. It is also thought to have been influenced by the Norman French form "à l'eau," meaning "at the water."

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Atwater surname was in the Hundred Rolls of Bedfordshire in 1273, where a Robert Attewatere was mentioned. Another early reference was in the Pipe Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1311, which listed a John Attewatere.

The name has been associated with several notable individuals throughout history, including Sir Adolphus Atwater (1522-1604), an English politician and member of Parliament during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. Another prominent bearer of the name was William Atwater (1616-1689), one of the founders of New Haven, Connecticut, in the American colonies.

In the 17th century, the Atwater family played a significant role in the early settlement of New England. One notable member was David Atwater (1615-1692), who served as a magistrate and deputy governor of the New Haven Colony. His son, Jeremiah Atwater (1638-1726), was a prominent minister and author.

Other notable individuals with the Atwater surname include Caleb Atwater (1778-1867), an American author and antiquarian who wrote extensively on the history and archaeology of Ohio, and Wilbur Olin Atwater (1844-1907), a pioneering American chemist and nutritionist who conducted groundbreaking research on human metabolism and the chemical composition of foods.

While the Atwater surname has its roots in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly through the migration of families to the American colonies and beyond.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Atwater

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Atwater.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Atwater was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Atwater has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Atwater was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Atwater, please contact us.

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