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

Watchman, 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 Watchman surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Watchman in America

Watchman is the 26067th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Watchman surname appeared 940 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Watchman.

We can also compare 2010 data for Watchman 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 Watchman

The surname Watchman originated in England during the medieval period. It is an occupational name derived from the Old English word "wæcce," meaning "watchman" or "sentinel." The name likely referred to someone who worked as a night watchman or guard, responsible for patrolling the streets or guarding property during the night hours.

The earliest recorded use of the surname Watchman dates back to the late 13th century. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was John le Wacheman, mentioned in the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in Yorkshire in 1275. The prefix "le" before the name suggests it was originally a descriptive nickname before becoming a hereditary surname.

In the 14th century, the surname appeared in various spellings, such as Wacheman, Watchman, and Wacheman, reflecting the regional variations in pronunciation and spelling at the time. The name was particularly common in the counties of Yorkshire, Lancashire, and Cheshire, where many early bearers of the surname lived and worked.

One notable historical figure with the surname Watchman was Sir John Watchman (c. 1470-1545), a prominent merchant and alderman in the City of London during the reign of Henry VIII. He served as the Lord Mayor of London in 1518-1519 and was a member of the Worshipful Company of Drapers.

Another early bearer of the name was Thomas Watchman (c. 1520-1584), an English Protestant reformer and author. He was a fellow of All Souls College, Oxford, and is known for his work "A Treatise of the Crosse," published in 1554, which criticized the use of the cross in religious ceremonies.

In the 17th century, the Watchman surname appeared in various records, including the parish registers of St. Dunstan's in the East, London, where a marriage between John Watchman and Elizabeth Sewell was recorded in 1642.

During the English Civil War (1642-1651), a Captain Watchman is mentioned in a letter written by Oliver Cromwell in 1644, describing his role in a military action near Huntingdon.

In the 18th century, a notable figure with the surname Watchman was William Watchman (1714-1782), an English Baptist minister and author. He served as the pastor of a congregation in Taunton, Somerset, and wrote several religious works, including "A Dissertation on the Antiquity and Use of Seals in General, and of the Great Seal of England in Particular."

The Watchman surname continued to be found throughout England, with families bearing the name residing in various counties, including Yorkshire, Lancashire, Cheshire, and London. While the name is not among the most common surnames in England, it has persisted over the centuries and is a part of the country's rich linguistic and cultural heritage.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Watchman

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

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 Watchman 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 Watchman 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 Watchman was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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