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

Water, 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 Water surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Water in America

Water is the 56310th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Water surname appeared 363 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 Water.

We can also compare 2010 data for Water 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 Water

The surname "Water" is believed to have originated as an English surname derived from the Old English word "waeter," which means "water" or "stream." This name likely originated in various areas of England where bodies of water, such as rivers or streams, were prominent geographical features.

One of the earliest recorded instances of this surname can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "de Watere" or "atte Watere," indicating that the person lived near a body of water or was associated with water in some way. Over time, the spelling evolved to its modern form, "Water."

In the 13th century, a notable individual named John Water was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire, England, in 1230. Another early record is from 1327, when a John del Water was listed in the Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire.

During the 14th century, a prominent figure named Richard Water was recorded in the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in Yorkshire in 1348. Around the same time, in 1379, a Geoffrey atte Water was mentioned in the Sussex Subsidy Rolls.

In the 15th century, a notable individual named John Water was recorded in the Poll Tax Returns of Yorkshire in 1379. Additionally, a William Water was mentioned in the Calendars of Wills of London in 1484.

Moving into the 16th century, a Sir Edward Water was a member of the English gentry and served as a Justice of the Peace in Northamptonshire in 1532. Another notable figure from this period was Roger Water, who was born in Kent in 1558 and became a prominent merchant and landowner.

Throughout history, the surname "Water" has been associated with various place names, such as Water Stratford in Buckinghamshire, Water Newton in Huntingdonshire, and Water Eaton in Oxfordshire, among others. These place names likely influenced the adoption and spread of the surname in their respective regions.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Water

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!