2010
#160,975
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Watercott
A habitational surname referring to someone residing near a cottage by the water.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 132 Americans carry the last name Watercott. That puts it at #145,757 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,596,624 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Watercott surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
132
1 in 2,596,624
Census rank
#145,757
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
115
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 115 bearers of the surname Watercott in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145757th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Watercott, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.4%. The next largest groups are Black (0.9%) and Hispanic (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Watercott
The surname WATERCOTT is of English origin, derived from a place name. It is believed to have originated in the medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century. The name is a combination of two Old English words, "waeter" meaning water and "cot" meaning a cottage or small dwelling.
WATERCOTT is thought to have been initially used as a locational surname, referring to someone who lived near a cottage by the water or a stream. It may have been adopted by families residing in areas with similar place names, such as Watercott in Devon or Watercote in Buckinghamshire.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name WATERCOTT can be found in the Feet of Fines for Oxfordshire in 1311, where a Richard de Watercote is mentioned. This suggests that the name was already in use by the early 14th century.
In the 16th century, a William Watercott was listed in the Subsidy Rolls of Warwickshire in 1545. This record provides evidence of the surname's continued use and possible variations in spelling during that time period.
Notable individuals with the surname WATERCOTT include:
1. John Watercott (c. 1590-1655), an English clergyman and author who served as the Vicar of Weston-on-Trent, Derbyshire.
2. William Watercott (1609-1680), an English landowner and member of the gentry from Gloucestershire.
3. Elizabeth Watercott (1638-1718), a landowner and philanthropist from Worcestershire, known for her charitable contributions to the local community.
4. Samuel Watercott (1718-1792), a prominent merchant and ship owner based in Bristol, who traded extensively with the American colonies.
5. James Watercott (1765-1842), an English architect and surveyor who contributed to the design of several churches and estates in the West Midlands region.
While the surname WATERCOTT may have originated from specific place names, it has since become more widely dispersed throughout England and other parts of the world due to migration and population movements over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Watercott
Among Census respondents with the surname Watercott, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.4%. The next largest groups are Black (0.9%) and Hispanic (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Watercott bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Watercott surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White97.4% · 112
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Watercott
Watercott appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#145,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
+15 bearers (+15.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 15,218 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #160,975 | 100 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #145,757 | 115 | 0.04 | +15 bearers (+15.0%) | Up 15,218 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Watercott surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #160,975 | #145,757 | 9.5% |
| Count | 100 | 115 | 15.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 28.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Watercott bearers went from 100 to 115 (+15.0% change). The surname moved up 15,218 positions in the national ranking, going from #160,975 to #145,757.
FAQ
Watercott surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Watercott?
Name Census estimates that about 132 living Americans carry the surname Watercott. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,596,624 residents.
How common is Watercott?
Watercott ranks #145,757 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 115 people with the surname Watercott. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (132), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Watercott.
Has Watercott become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Watercott went from 100 recorded bearers to 115. That is an increase of 15 (+15.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #160,975 to #145,757.
What does the Census say about the background of Watercott?
Among Census respondents with the surname Watercott, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.4%. The next largest groups are Black (0.9%) and Hispanic (0.9%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Watercott in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.4% (112 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Watercott appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (97.4%), Black (0.9%), Hispanic (0.9%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Watercott (2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Watercott mean?
A habitational surname referring to someone residing near a cottage by the water. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Watercott (0.04 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people are called Watercott?
You can see how many people are called Watercott on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.